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All of us have to be committed to a life beyond our own aspirations.

Bernice King

We are carrying collectively a lot of trauma, especially those of us in the African-American community. And if we’re not careful, it’ll overtake us, and we’ll self-destruct.
BERNICE KING

Carry Collection Community Destruction Ourselves Trauma
The private sector enjoys tremendous freedom in the U.S, as it should. With freedom, however, comes responsibilities.
BERNICE KING

Enjoyment Freedom Privacy Responsibility
My mother made countless sacrifices so that her children – and all children – could grow up in a better nation and world.
BERNICE KING

Better Count Growth Mom Nation Sacrifice World
Nelson Mandela, a better man, not a bitter man, made our world a better place in which to live. His life and leadership exemplify the highest courage, dignity, and dedication to human liberation.
BERNICE KING

Better Dedication Human Leadership Liberty Man Place World
Before my mother was a King, she climbed trees and wrestled with boys. And won. Even as a child, Coretta Scott demonstrated that her gender would not deter her success, nor did it detract from her strength.
BERNICE KING

Children Climb Demonstration Mom Strength Success Tree
In the end, I still have the same hope as my father – that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the last word.
BERNICE KING

Conditional End Father Hope Myself Word
When I speak, I want to ensure that there is at least one person in the audience who leaves the room transformed.
BERNICE KING

Leaving Myself Person Room Talk Transformation
Daddy taught us through his philosophy of nonviolence, which placed love at the centerpiece, that through that love we can turn enemies into friends. Through that love, we can create more dignified atmospheres.
BERNICE KING

Atmosphere Creation Father Philosophy Teaching Violence
Something big is going on. I’m talking about a society that refuses to allow injustice just to persist without making our voices heard and without organizing to bring about effective change through our voting system.
BERNICE KING

Big Change Ourselves Persistence Refusal Society System Vote
If people want to criticize me, that’s their issue.
BERNICE KING

Criticism Issues Myself People
Among her many accomplishments, my mother is often identified as the leader of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday movement.
BERNICE KING

Accomplishment Identify Leadership Mom Myself
Refuse to be disheartened, discouraged, distracted from your goals in life.
BERNICE KING

Encourage Goal Life Refusal
Institutionalized racism has been with us pre-Obama, and it obviously will be with us post-Obama.
BERNICE KING

Existence Institutional Oppression Ourselves Race
Continue to speak out against all forms of injustice to yourselves and others, and you will set a mighty example for your children and for future generations.
BERNICE KING

Children Example Future Generation Justice Talk Yourself
Do we want to be successful, or do we just want to make noise just to make it? Or just to put something on the record? I’ll be honest with you, I’m tired of putting stuff on the record. I’m ready to see some real transformation and change.
BERNICE KING

Change Honesty Myself Noise Record Success Transformation
How do we expect change to occur if we are not willing to put on the whole armor of God and fight injustice wherever it raises its ugly head?
BERNICE KING

Change Fight God Head Ugly Willing
I know that the absence of my father in my life had its cost.
BERNICE KING

Absence Cost Father Life Myself
Every time I go to these racial forums, it is people who are alike, or it is progressives and liberals. So I said, ‘At some point, we’ve got to bring the progressives and the liberals and the conservatives together.’
BERNICE KING

Conservatism Forum Liberal Myself People Race Time Togetherness
At Grinnell College, for the first time in my life, I was in an all-white setting. It was a shocking experience.
BERNICE KING

College Experience Life Myself Shock Time
It is painful beyond measure to lose a loving father and grandmother to violence.
BERNICE KING

Beyond Lose Mom Pain Violence
All of us have to be committed to a life beyond our own aspirations.
BERNICE KING

Aspiration Beyond Commitment Life Ourselves
Somehow, we have to realize that what we watch and what we listen to not only often reflects our most violent tendencies but cultivates more violence.
BERNICE KING

Listening Ourselves Realization Reflection Violent Watch
In addition to needed gun control reforms, America urgently needs a stronger protest movement dedicated to reducing the glorification of violence in our culture – in music, film, television, video games, and even the Internet.
BERNICE KING

Addition Control Game Movement Protest Violence
Some people feel like I’m arrogant. It’s unfortunate, because people don’t know my heart.
BERNICE KING

Arrogant Feeling Heart Myself People Unfortunate
In 1985, I joined my mother in a protest against apartheid in which we were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington, D.C. And she was at President-elect Mandela’s side in Johannesburg when he claimed victory in South Africa’s first free elections.
BERNICE KING

Arrest Election Freedom Join Mom Myself Politics Protest Victory
When I think about some of the policies that we make in this country, the policies are so self-driven.
BERNICE KING

Country Drive Myself Policies Thinking
My mother and Ethel Kennedy became good friends and worked together on a number of causes they had shared with their husbands. They together co-chaired ‘A Time to Remember’ to mobilize a movement for gun control.
BERNICE KING

Control Friendship Goodness Mom Movement Togetherness Work

All of us have to be committed to a life beyond our own aspirations.

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All of us have to be committed to a life beyond our own aspirations.

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