But the color of a Negro's skin makes him easily recognizable, makes him suspect, converts him into a defenseless target
Richard WrightViolence is a personal necessity for the oppressed...It is not a strategy consciously devised. It is the deep, instinctive expression of a human being denied individuality.
Richard WrightI didn't know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for 'em.
Richard WrightAt the age of twelve I had an attitude toward life that was to endure, that was to make me seek those areas of living that would keep it alive, that was to make me skeptical of everything while seeking everything, tolerant of all and yet critical. The spirit I had caught gave me insight into the suffering of others, made me gravitate toward those whose feelings were like my own, made me sit for hours while others told me of their lives, made me strangely tender and cruel, violent and peaceful.
Richard Wright