--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents lived in a poor rural…" description: "\"My parents lived in a poor rural community on the Eastern Shore, and schools were still segregated. And I remember when lawyers came into our community..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/bryan-stevenson-4134_black_my-parents-lived-in-a-poor-rural-communi_3031048.jpg" --- # My parents lived in a poor rural community on the Eastern… ![“My parents lived in a poor rural community on the Eastern Shore, and schools were still segregated. And I remember when lawyers came into our community to open up the public schools to black kids.” quote by Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/bryan-stevenson-4134_black_my-parents-lived-in-a-poor-rural-communi_3031048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/bryan-stevenson-4134_black_my-parents-lived-in-a-poor-rural-communi_3031048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/bryan-stevenson-4134_black_my-parents-lived-in-a-poor-rural-communi_3031048.jpg) > “My parents lived in a poor rural community on the Eastern Shore, and schools were still segregated. And I remember when lawyers came into our community to open up the public schools to black kids.” [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator recalls segregated schools and the arrival of lawyers who fought to integrate public education for Black children. **In simple terms:** Integration of schools after segregation. Key Takeaway Support equal education. Themes civil rights education segregation justice Mood hopeful determined Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - school board meetings - legal clinics - community organizing Key Concepts legal activism community empowerment historical change Questions to Reflect On - What motivated the lawyers? - How can we honor their legacy today? A Different Perspective Integration faced strong resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Eastern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eastern/) [I remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-remember/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyers/) [Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived/) [Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Our community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-community/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-lived-801990/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Public school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-school/) [Public schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-schools/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember when](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-when/) [Rural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rural/) [Rural communities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rural-communities/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schools/) [Schools Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schools-black-4950525/) [Schools Segregated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schools-segregated-698824/) [Segregated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/segregated/) [Segregated Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/segregated-remember-4950526/) [Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shore/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) ## Related quotes > [There was segregation everywhere. The churches, buses and schools were all segregated and you couldn't even go into the same restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudette-colvin/there-was-segregation-everywhere-the-churches-buses-and-schools-were/) [Claudette Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudette-colvin/) > [Our nation's oldest sin and deepest crime is the isolation of minority children - black children, in particular - in schools that are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/our-nation-s-oldest-sin-and-deepest-crime-is-the-isolation-of/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [Teaching Black Studies, I find that students are quick to label a black person who has grown up in a predominantly white setting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/teaching-black-studies-i-find-that-students-are-quick-to-label-a/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [At some schools black applicants are more than 100 times more likely to be admitted than whites with the same GPAs and SATs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lerner/at-some-schools-black-applicants-are-more-than-100-times-more-likely/) [Robert E. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lerner/) > [Mindset changes are not happening from change in legislation. Like desegregation. We legally got rid of legal segregation, but schools are still segregated. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/mindset-changes-are-not-happening-from-change-in-legislation-like/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) > [I grew up in a segregated community: I couldn't go to the public schools, beaches, certain parts of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-grew-up-in-a-segregated-community-i-couldn-t-go-to-the-public/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [“Dean took out other pictures. I realized these were all the snapshots which our children would look at someday with wonder, thinking their parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/dean-took-out-other-pictures-i-realized-these-were-all-the-snapshots/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The girls gave their hearts into their mother's keeping-their souls into their father's; and to both parents, who lived and labored so faithfully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-girls-gave-their-hearts-into-their-mother-s-keeping-their-souls/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [My mom grew up in Idaho, went to Brigham Young University: they're very Molly Mormon. And my father is, like, first generation Albanian, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-dushku/my-mom-grew-up-in-idaho-went-to-brigham-young-university-they-re-very/) [Eliza Dushku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-dushku/) > [“They’d crossed over to that continent where grieving parents lived. It looked the same as the rest of the world, but wasn’t. Colors bled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/they-d-crossed-over-to-that-continent-where-grieving-parents-lived-it/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [Most people think that aging is genetic and yet if your parents lived to age 80+ that will add three years to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-think-that-aging-is-genetic-and-yet-if-your-parents-lived/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I was well brought up, my parents are still together. I lived in a council estate, but I don't anymore; I saw my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinie-tempah/i-was-well-brought-up-my-parents-are-still-together-i-lived-in-a/) [Tinie Tempah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinie-tempah/) > [Growing up, I wouldn't say I was poor. But my parents, although we lived in a nice, middle-class home, they had their struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-idk/growing-up-i-wouldn-t-say-i-was-poor-but-my-parents-although-we-lived/) [Jay IDK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-idk/) > [My parents lived very long lives. And good lives, too. They're great people, but good lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/my-parents-lived-very-long-lives-and-good-lives-too-they-re-great/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I moved up over Lower East Side and I was adopted by eight foster parents; I lived all over New York City with these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-corso/i-moved-up-over-lower-east-side-and-i-was-adopted-by-eight-foster/) [Gregory Corso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-corso/) ## More by Bryan Stevenson > [I love museums, and I think they're fantastic, but they don't touch the people who I frequently think need to be touched with at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-love-museums-and-i-think-they-re-fantastic-but-they-don-t-touch-the/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I believe that for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-ve-come-to-understand-and-to-believe-that-each-of-us-is-more-than/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I'm persuaded that if most people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would want change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-m-persuaded-that-if-most-people-saw-what-i-see-on-a-regular-basis/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [When you come to Montgomery, you see fifty-nine monuments and memorials, all about the Civil War, all about Confederate leaders and generals. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/when-you-come-to-montgomery-you-see-fifty-nine-monuments-and/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [“These aren’t my scars, cuts, and bruises. These are my medals of honor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/these-aren-t-my-scars-cuts-and-bruises-these-are-my-medals-of-honor/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [If you're just the person with power, exercising that power fearfully and angrily, you're going to be an operative of injustice and inequality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-you-re-just-the-person-with-power-exercising-that-power-fearfully/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [In a landscape littered with all of this imagery about the nobility of the Civil War and the Confederate effort and struggle, the absence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/in-a-landscape-littered-with-all-of-this-imagery-about-the-nobility/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [If you love your community, then you need to be insisting on justice in all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-you-love-your-community-then-you-need-to-be-insisting-on-justice/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [There was never a time you could get the majority of people in Alabama or Mississippi, or even southern Delaware, to vote to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/there-was-never-a-time-you-could-get-the-majority-of-people-in/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I talk about my grandmother a lot, because she's an amazing person - not in some dramatic, distinct, unique way, but anybody who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-talk-about-my-grandmother-a-lot-because-she-s-an-amazing-person-not/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [You can't understand what happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson, you can't understand what happened to Eric Garner in New York City, without understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/you-can-t-understand-what-happened-to-michael-brown-in-ferguson-you/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I know this might be broadcast broadly. But I'm 52 years old, and I'm going to admit to you that I've never had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-know-this-might-be-broadcast-broadly-but-i-m-52-years-old-and-i-m/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Are you the sum total of your worst acts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/are-you-the-sum-total-of-your-worst-acts/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [If we want to be proud of our country, if we want to be proud as Americans, if we want to be proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-we-want-to-be-proud-of-our-country-if-we-want-to-be-proud-as/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) [Explore all 115 Bryan Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. 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I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. 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