Community Action Quotes

“You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe. You have to have courage, raw courage.”
― John Lewis

“We are not "merely" talking about nurturing democratic community practice; we are talking about community practice as the basis of fundamental experiences of critical importance to the nation as a whole and of democracy in general. The answer to the question "Can you have genuine Democracy with a big D in a continental nation if its citizens have little genuine experience of democracy with a small d in their own lives?" is simple: No.”
― Gar Alperovitz, What Then Must We Do?: Straight Talk about the Next American Revolution

“We find ourselves in the wake of a global pandemic. COVID-19 has opened my eyes to many things; the least of which is how many more people are now walking around the block for exercise, mental health, and, at least some kind of, social interaction. But the pandemic has magnified, and helped me see more clearly, other ideas found on these pages: That we’re all in this together – locally, nationally, and globally. That lots of people doing little things – social distancing, wearing masks, taking care of one another – can bend the curve of history in a positive direction.”
― Spike Carlsen, A Walk Around the Block: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day

“Community service leaders are people who would rather do things off-line that matter than online for show. ”
― Germany Kent

“It opened my eyes to a realm of activism that exists in name only; the air had been so thoroughly let out of people's hopes, they were simply going through the motions. (...) But there was still another, even more depraved, reason (...) The people in charge wouldn't allow change in the neighborhood until you put some change in their pockets. Meanwhile, they continue to bitterly question, looking askance at anyone who tried to help, why the neighborhood remained in decay.”
― Antong Lucky, A Redemptive Path Forward: From Incarceration to a Life of Activism