Agonize, Organize, Florynce Kennedy

“Don't agonize. Organize.” - Fleet-tongued Florynce Kennedy. Fortunately, the Ur-activist of the Sixties and Seventies seldom stayed down in the dumps for long.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 70.

Afraid of Faililng, Fall Down, Getting Up, Marian Wright Edelman

“Don't be afraid of failing. It doesn't matter how many times you fall down. All that matters is how many times you keep getting up.” - Marian Wright Edelman, Commencement Address, Howard University, May 12, 1990

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 60.

Sick and Tired, Fannie Lou Hamer

“I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.” - Fannie Lou Hamer

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 92.

Bitch, Thank You, Gloria Steinem

“If they call you a bitch, say 'Thank you!'” - Gloria Steinem

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 110.

Never Completely Escaped, Scars of My Childhood, Alvin Ailey

“I am a person who has never completely escaped from the scars of my childhood. Racism, which leaves a shadow on one's sense of accomplishment, can make one feel like a perpetual outsider.” - Alvin Ailey, Essence, November 1988

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 4.

Voting, Most We Can Do, It's the Least, Gloria Steinem

“Voting isn't the most we can do, but it's the least.” - Gloria Steinem

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 21.

Hardest Years, Ten and Seventy, Helen Hayes

“The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.” - Helen Hayes

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 21.