Toufah Quotes

“I could see the generational differences: my grandmother wanting to bury what had happened, my mother hoping all would be fine now and everyone would be convinced I had told the truth, and me relieved to no longer be burdened by the shame of the secret but accepting there were some who would never believe me. We were all strong women, each coping in our own ways.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“I am willing to use my name, and if it isn't safe for you to use your name, if you aren't ready, you can use my name too. #IAmToufah”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“It's time that we are uncomfortable, because comfort has been disastrous.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“But the answer isn't to stop making promises; the answer is to change the world to make the promises possible." (pg.299)”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“No person should be subjected to this.' If a woman's value, a woman's autonomy, her right to be free from assault, is dependent on her relationships as a mother, wife, a sister or daughter to the men in her life, it means she is only a human as the strength of her relationships to the men around her-that women are only conditionally human." (pg.269)”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“Our silence is their protection. Speak up." (pg. 242)”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“Social and religious circumstances pushed them down. Their strength and will pushed them forward- and perhaps in these ways they were more similar to the mothers and grandmothers of Western feminists then is often acknowledged." Another one loaded with so much knowledge and wisdom, I don't even know where to start or the words to use. I just lived this little excerpt so much!”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“You don't have to be a PhD to be an activist," she said as we talked one evening, after I'd shared my worries about not having been able to move forward with my education as quickly as I wanted to. Katrarine didn't discourage me from pursuing my school goals, but she also told me I didn't need to wait for a piece of paper to give me permission to try to make a difference in the world." I don't even know where to start with this one. I guess I'll with the simplest. Anyone can make a difference in the world.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“The absence of war doesn't necessarily equal peace,' I said." I loved this because it's such a poignant reminder that just because the extreme is not the case, doesn't mean that the opposite extreme is, either. No war doesn't automatically equal peace just like no depression doesn't automatically equal happiness and "not bad" doesn't always equal "good".”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“But a country is not just its weather, it's buildings, it's people. A country is also its government, it's power structure, it's leaders, and it's way of life." (pg. 8)”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement

“I am a constant student,” he told me, “forever in a learning state.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement

“This simply means that for you to be successful or to fail in life, it’s your attitude that determines it. You need to represent yourself in the best manner, in the way you behave, the way you think and the way you react to problems.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement

“Survivors are strong, even those who remain hidden.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement

“He allegedly raped her” morphs into “she was allegedly raped.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement

“also to my agent, Marilyn Biderman.”
― Toufah Jallow, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement