Black Quote by Bill Ayers
“The fact is that in my prep school, I went to a boarding school, 39 young men graduated from that prep school. Five years later, a quarter of us were in SDS, in Students for Democratic Society. Not because we were particularly chosen or because we were as I say, we were lucky but we were mainly luckily to grow up at a time where this black freedom movement was really defining the moral character of what it meant to be a citizen and a person.”
About This Quote
A generation’s shared historical moment can shape political activism, even without deliberate selection.
In simple terms: Historical context drives collective activism.
Key Takeaway
Context influences activism.
Themes
history
activism
generational influence
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
reflective
political
When to use this quote
- college years
- political protests
- social change
Key Concepts
political science
social movements
Practical Applications
- Recognize the impact of era on values
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your era shape your beliefs?
- Can you act differently from your peers?
A Different Perspective
Individual agency also matters beyond era.
![“[Lyndon ] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do as a conservative politician.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e4/bill-ayers-1848_black_lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black_39317.jpg)
![“[Students for a Democratic Society] it's a social democratic program.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b0/bill-ayers-1848_democracy_students-for-a-democratic-society-it-s-a_2607406.jpg)
![“[Students for a Democratic Society] was on many campuses and it was a powerful organization. It was founded by Tom Hayden, who passed away very recently. It was one of the founders of SDS and that chief writer of the Port Huron Statement, which is still worth reading. It's kind of the Bernie…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b1b/bill-ayers-1848_bernie-sanders_students-for-a-democratic-society-was-on_2598828.jpg)
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
![“One of the great crimes of the Bloomberg/Klein administration [in New York City] is that they've removed themselves from communities, as if communities have nothing to say about what their needs and aspirations are for themselves and for their children.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfb/bill-ayers-1848_administration_one-of-the-great-crimes-of-the-bloomberg_36172.jpg)
![“I'm wary of government. Part of [the Tea Party] impulse is to dislike and be worried about the rich. I'm that way too. So I don't find them to be as atrocious as most people do, as your liberals do. I'm not a liberal.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9a/bill-ayers-1848_dislike_i-m-wary-of-government-part-of-the-tea-p_60556.jpg)
![“I'd been arrested many times by then. I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years [from 1965 till 1968].” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f8/bill-ayers-1848_arrested_i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d_88658.jpg)
![“[The whole first year at university] was a great time for me and great time of awakening.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37e/bill-ayers-1848_awakening_the-whole-first-year-at-university-was-a_193300.jpg)
