--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents being from Nigeria deeply…" description: "\"My parents being from Nigeria deeply informs all my social justice and human rights work.\" — Opal Tometi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg" --- # My parents being from Nigeria deeply informs all my social… ![“My parents being from Nigeria deeply informs all my social justice and human rights work.” quote by Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg) > “My parents being from Nigeria deeply informs all my social justice and human rights work.” [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal heritage shapes one’s perspective, driving commitment to social justice and human rights advocacy. **In simple terms:** Heritage informs justice work. Key Takeaway Leverage background for advocacy. Themes identity justice human rights Mood proud determined Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - policy work - community organizing - education - media Key Concepts sociology activism cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - How does your background empower you? - What allies can you engage beyond your community? A Different Perspective Relying solely on identity may limit broader coalition building. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I'm first generation American, and my parents were both from Nigeria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-famuyiwa/i-m-first-generation-american-and-my-parents-were-both-from-nigeria-2/) [Rick Famuyiwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-famuyiwa/) > [I was raised well. My parents are from Nigeria; their culture is respectful. Very respectful. But I learnt that you have to be determined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-joshua/i-was-raised-well-my-parents-are-from-nigeria-their-culture-is/) [Anthony Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-joshua/) > [When I was very young, I sold the rights to my work... through 2000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gabriel/when-i-was-very-young-i-sold-the-rights-to-my-work-through-2000/) [Juan Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gabriel/) > [..I think there is less cynicism about human rights than there was. The work we are doing is part of the overall pattern of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-ennals/i-think-there-is-less-cynicism-about-human-rights-than-there-was-the/) Martin Ennals > [When you say, ‘I have nothing to hide,’ you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about this right.’ You’re saying, ‘I don’t have this right, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/when-you-say-i-have-nothing-to-hide-you-re-saying-i-don-t-care-about/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The union movement has achieved a huge amount in the past century or so. It has secured important rights at work, tackled unfair discrimination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-benn/the-union-movement-has-achieved-a-huge-amount-in-the-past-century-or/) [Hilary Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-benn/) > [In my human-rights work, perhaps the most important thing is gaining the trust of the victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/in-my-human-rights-work-perhaps-the-most-important-thing-is-gaining/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [Often people who already had an interest in human rights work. What I did notice with all of them, even the people who professed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-braver/often-people-who-already-had-an-interest-in-human-rights-work-what-i/) [Adam Braver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-braver/) > [In the view of some people, you can only believe in civil rights if you work as a civil rights lawyer. I just don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/in-the-view-of-some-people-you-can-only-believe-in-civil-rights-if/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [The core of human rights work is naming and shaming those who commit abuses, and pressuring governments to put the screws to abusing states.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-core-of-human-rights-work-is-naming-and-shaming-those-who-commit/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [There are always groups on campus that are doing amazing things. I know when I was in college, I was a student at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/there-are-always-groups-on-campus-that-are-doing-amazing-things-i/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [There can be no peace without justice and respect for human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-khan/there-can-be-no-peace-without-justice-and-respect-for-human-rights/) [Irene Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-khan/) > [“Civil Sanity (Sonnet 1631) You know what the problem is! We question love more than we question hate. We question humility more than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/civil-sanity-sonnet-1631-you-know-what-the-problem-is-we-question/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Democracies don't go to war against each other, and by and large they don't sponsor terrorism. They're more likely to respect the environment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/democracies-don-t-go-to-war-against-each-other-and-by-and-large-they/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Over the last eight years of being on YouTube, I've seen so much progress. I think the reason for that is that a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-oakley/over-the-last-eight-years-of-being-on-youtube-i-ve-seen-so-much/) [Tyler Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-oakley/) ## More by Opal Tometi > [There are always groups on campus that are doing amazing things. I know when I was in college, I was a student at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/there-are-always-groups-on-campus-that-are-doing-amazing-things-i/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Let's demonstrate, illustrate, the ways in which our communities are being undermined time and time again, and make sure that the broader public and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/let-s-demonstrate-illustrate-the-ways-in-which-our-communities-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Being in the immigrant rights space, I've heard a lot of transactional talk with questions like, 'When will black people show up for immigrants?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/being-in-the-immigrant-rights-space-i-ve-heard-a-lot-of-transactional/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Our communities are reeling from poverty, from unemployment, from discrimination of all sorts and different interactions that they're having with the law enforcement, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/our-communities-are-reeling-from-poverty-from-unemployment-from/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Antiblack racism is not only happening in the United States. It's actually happening all across the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/antiblack-racism-is-not-only-happening-in-the-united-states-it-s/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I'm really looking for an agenda that looks at safety for our communities beyond policing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-m-really-looking-for-an-agenda-that-looks-at-safety-for-our/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I just look back at my time in college and think about how much my community activism and my work in neighborhoods really informed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-just-look-back-at-my-time-in-college-and-think-about-how-much-my/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Trump's racism has clearly driven his policy decisions during his first year in office - from his Muslim ban and his despicable treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/trump-s-racism-has-clearly-driven-his-policy-decisions-during-his/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I have two younger brothers, and I know my parents have spoken to them about driving and interacting with police. They didn't have those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-have-two-younger-brothers-and-i-know-my-parents-have-spoken-to-them/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Lean into your curiosity about any issue, and there will likely be people to share a little bit more of their knowledge and insight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/lean-into-your-curiosity-about-any-issue-and-there-will-likely-be/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [We can't continue to sit on our hands and sit idly by as people are being brutalized, disenfranchised, and left out of the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/we-can-t-continue-to-sit-on-our-hands-and-sit-idly-by-as-people-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Far from ending, systemic racism reinvents itself to conform to what is publically acceptable, leaving the quality of black life diminished and more permanently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/far-from-ending-systemic-racism-reinvents-itself-to-conform-to-what/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Some of us have held the hands of friends or brothers as they struggled with military and police academy recruiters, and though many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/some-of-us-have-held-the-hands-of-friends-or-brothers-as-they/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Only when the oppressed are heard can we have an honest solutions based dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/only-when-the-oppressed-are-heard-can-we-have-an-honest-solutions/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [We know that there are people in our nation, black people, who are systematically being disenfranchised in a number of spheres in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/we-know-that-there-are-people-in-our-nation-black-people-who-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) [Explore all 75 Opal Tometi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) ## More Human rights quotes > [I found out about Sister Song through Poppy Liu, who's on the show 'Hacks.' Reproductive rights are human rights, and I wanted to shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-found-out-about-sister-song-through-poppy-liu-who-s-on-the-show/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [I want a society free of human trafficking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuradha-koirala/i-want-a-society-free-of-human-trafficking/) Anuradha Koirala > [“. The understanding that what is good supports basic human rights and anything that threatens it is bad. We do not need a supernatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/the-understanding-that-what-is-good-supports-basic-human-rights-and/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Whatever happened in those more than one hundred years, from the time my great-great-great grandfather studied law to the time when my own father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwenn-wright/whatever-happened-in-those-more-than-one-hundred-years-from-the-time/) [Gwenn Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwenn-wright/) > [When history looks back, I want people to know the Nazis weren't able to kill millions of people and get away with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/when-history-looks-back-i-want-people-to-know-the-nazis-weren-t-able/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Its up to any government to decide how to react to the denial of basic human rights anywhere in the world, including Egypt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/its-up-to-any-government-to-decide-how-to-react-to-the-denial-of/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Currently, the United States provides 22 percent of the U.N. annual budgets, over $900 million in fiscal year 2007, and some of that funding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/currently-the-united-states-provides-22-percent-of-the-u-n-annual/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Human rights they legalize rum & cigarettes, legalize gays & lesbian rights, the next thing coming is legalizing weed. Our way of life keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/human-rights-they-legalize-rum-cigarettes-legalize-gays-lesbian/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A nuclear-weapons armed Iran is not in anyone's human-rights interests. That is a direct threat to the lives and the livelihoods and the stability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/a-nuclear-weapons-armed-iran-is-not-in-anyone-s-human-rights/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) [Browse all 2,241 Human rights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My parents being from Nigeria deeply informs all my social justice and human rights work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Opal Tometi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-informs-all-my-social-justice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human rights" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-informs-all-my-social-justice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/opal-tometi-9098_human-rights_my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-inf_2230102.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My parents being from Nigeria deeply informs all my social justice and human rights work.” — Opal Tometi", "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": "Opal Tometi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My parents being from Nigeria deeply...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-informs-all-my-social-justice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/my-parents-being-from-nigeria-deeply-informs-all-my-social-justice/#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 } } ] } ```