---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Elizabeth [Alexander] is right, of…"
description: "\"“Elizabeth [Alexander] is right, of course. It’s a stirring fact that our slave ancestors left behind not documents of property but an incredible amoun..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg"
---

#  Elizabeth \[Alexander\] is right, of course. It’s a stirring…

![“Elizabeth &#91;Alexander&#93; is right, of course. It’s a stirring fact that our slave ancestors left behind not documents of property but an incredible amount of cultural wealth. It is a tragedy that we are only able to imagine their individual contributions to that collective wealth- and the worlds they…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg)

> ““Elizabeth \[Alexander\] is right, of course. It’s a stirring fact that our slave ancestors left behind not documents of property but an incredible amount of cultural wealth. It is a tragedy that we are only able to imagine their individual contributions to that collective wealth- and the worlds they might have made had they been free.””

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Enslaved people left a rich cultural legacy, yet society often overlooks their individual contributions, missing the potential impact of true freedom.

**In simple terms:** Enslaved ancestors gave cultural wealth, but we ignore their contributions.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and honor hidden cultural contributions.

Themes

history culture freedom recognition social justice

Mood

reflective motivational

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- museum exhibits
- community storytelling
- policy reform

Key Concepts

African diaspora studies cultural heritage historical memory

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we integrate these contributions into mainstream history?
- What would true freedom have allowed for these ancestors?

A Different Perspective

Overcoming entrenched narratives can meet resistance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/)

## Related quotes

> [“there is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/there-is-no-king-who-has-not-had-a-slave-among-his-ancestors-and-no/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [“Due to its inherently limited supply for each location, land obtains its value from the natural, social, and cultural wealth that exists in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-adams/due-to-its-inherently-limited-supply-for-each-location-land-obtains/)

[Martin Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-adams/)

> [I say this idea of chokin' folks to death to reform 'em, is where we show the savage in us, which we have brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marietta-holley/i-say-this-idea-of-chokin-folks-to-death-to-reform-em-is-where-we/)

[Marietta Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marietta-holley/)

> [What is birth to a man if it shall be a stain to his dead ancestors to have left such an offspring?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/what-is-birth-to-a-man-if-it-shall-be-a-stain-to-his-dead-ancestors/)

[Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/)

> [Perhaps some deep-rooted atavism urges the wanderer back to lands which his ancestors left in the dim beginnings of history. Sometimes a man hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perhaps-some-deep-rooted-atavism-urges-the-wanderer-back-to-lands/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Our Phoenician ancestors never left anything they undertook unfinished. Consider what they accomplished in their days, and the degree of culture they attained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameen-rihani/our-phoenician-ancestors-never-left-anything-they-undertook/)

[Ameen Rihani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ameen-rihani/)

> [I went to Cork, Ireland, and stood on the dock some of my ancestors had left from. I felt their ghosts gather round me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/i-went-to-cork-ireland-and-stood-on-the-dock-some-of-my-ancestors-had/)

[Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/)

> [“I have an idea that some men are born out of their due place. Accident has cast them amid certain surroundings, but they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-have-an-idea-that-some-men-are-born-out-of-their-due-place-accident/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Feel like everyone's moving forward in their lives and then there me being left behind all miserable and shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feel-like-everyone-s-moving-forward-in-their-lives-and-then-there-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Dont tell me it wasnt love when somebody so far away left behind this much hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-tell-me-it-wasnt-love-when-somebody-so-far-away-left-behind-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I cry for the time that you were almost mine, i cry for the memories Ive left behind, i cry for the pain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cry-for-the-time-that-you-were-almost-mine-i-cry-for-the-memories/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“But at times I wondered if I had not come a long way only to find that what I really sought was something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-at-times-i-wondered-if-i-had-not-come-a-long-way-only-to-find/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Circumstance changes. People change. Don't be the only one who remains the same. You'll be left behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/circumstance-changes-people-change-don-t-be-the-only-one-who-remains/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We all live and learn as we go, the hard part if figuring out whats worth holding on to, and what is better off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-all-live-and-learn-as-we-go-the-hard-part-if-figuring-out-whats/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm the type of girl that puts on her better smile, her better outfit, and better attitude and shows him what he left behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-the-type-of-girl-that-puts-on-her-better-smile-her-better-outfit/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Left behind quotes

> [“His expression is inscrutable. His eyes look strange with their pulsing pupils. “You’re not like other girls. You’re special.” Intoxicating warmth crawls over my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-jordan/his-expression-is-inscrutable-his-eyes-look-strange-with-their/)

[Sophie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-jordan/)

> [Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/family-means-no-one-gets-left-behind-or-forgotten/)

[David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/)

> [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [I got my masters in social sciences and education at Stanford, and initially - this is back in 2002 or 2003 when I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mendoza/i-got-my-masters-in-social-sciences-and-education-at-stanford-and/)

[Jessica Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mendoza/)

> [An odd thing happens when we die, our senses vanish. Taste, touch, smell and sound become a distant memory, but our sight? Ah, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desperate-housewives/an-odd-thing-happens-when-we-die-our-senses-vanish-taste-touch-smell/)

Desperate Housewives

> [“Oh, nothing. Only you really did help them, you know.” “Who?” “All the men who’ve come through this House. You helped them find their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-wecker/oh-nothing-only-you-really-did-help-them-you-know-who-all-the-men-who/)

[Helene Wecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-wecker/)

> [“How could anything be the same? The red of blood lay over the market road in slick pools mingled with a yellow spread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/how-could-anything-be-the-same-the-red-of-blood-lay-over-the-market/)

[Kiran Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/)

> [“I don’t care if you’ve changed. I don’t care who you are now. I don’t need or want your explanations because what you did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/i-don-t-care-if-you-ve-changed-i-don-t-care-who-you-are-now-i-don-t/)

[Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/)

> [A remembrance can mean nothing to the one remembered; it can only remind the ones left behind how little they did while you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/a-remembrance-can-mean-nothing-to-the-one-remembered-it-can-only/)

[Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/)

> [“They travel through the night on the wings of heavenly stallions bringing hope and new faith to those left behind. Even though they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/they-travel-through-the-night-on-the-wings-of-heavenly-stallions/)

[Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/)

> [From every little territory I've been, I've picked something up, things that I could use to better my game, to take with me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-babel/from-every-little-territory-i-ve-been-i-ve-picked-something-up-things/)

[Ryan Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-babel/)

> [Topping the ball is a problem that usually afflicts only beginning golfers, and it is quickly left behind once a player has learned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-beard/topping-the-ball-is-a-problem-that-usually-afflicts-only-beginning/)

[Henry Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-beard/)

> [You can always tell where Diana Ross has been by the hair that's left behind!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/you-can-always-tell-where-diana-ross-has-been-by-the-hair-that-s-left/)

[Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/)

> [“...for if our life is vagabond our memory is sedentary and though we ourselves rush ceaselessly forward our recollections, indissolubly bound to the sites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/for-if-our-life-is-vagabond-our-memory-is-sedentary-and-though-we/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“So hard to die.' I don't doubt that it is, but it cannot be much harder than being left behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-hard-to-die-i-don-t-doubt-that-it-is-but-it-cannot-be-much-harder/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Browse all 1,519 Left behind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Elizabeth [Alexander] is right, of course. It’s a stirring fact that our slave ancestors left behind not documents of property but an incredible amount of cultural wealth. It is a tragedy that we are only able to imagine their individual contributions to that collective wealth- and the worlds they might have made had they been free.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-it-s-a-stirring-fact-that-our/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Left behind"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-it-s-a-stirring-fact-that-our/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/anonymous-1_left-behind_elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-i_1745577.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Elizabeth [Alexander] is right, of course. It’s a stirring fact that our slave ancestors left behind not…” — Anonymous",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Elizabeth [Alexander] is right, of course....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-it-s-a-stirring-fact-that-our/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/elizabeth-alexander-is-right-of-course-it-s-a-stirring-fact-that-our/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
