Kai Zen

“Perhaps because the bank was identified with the endeavors of the newly freed negro, wrote historians Kindsor and Sagarin, anyone who dared to raise a cry against the mismanagement was charged with being anti-negro. In as much as the enemies of the negro were not interested in the bank, and the friends were effectively silenced with the anti-negro charge, there was no exposure of the condition of the bank. The belief that the failures of black institutions could not be accurately studied because of the sensitivity of the race issue, whether accurate or not, would be a recurring theme through history.”
― Mehrsa Baradaran, The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap

“In many ways, the activists had built upon years of efforts—from behind-the-scenes petitions to legal work—by the women’s rights advocates who preceded them. The Anti–Domestic Violence Network, a coalition of NGOs formed in the wake of the 1995 World Conference on Women, in Beijing, had been spearheading anti–domestic violence initiatives for over two decades.”
― Yi-Ling Liu, The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet

“In contrast to activists like Lü Pin, who believed they could move forward only by unbinding themselves from the shackles of the state, entrepreneurs like Ma Baoli realized that they could achieve their goals only by collaborating with it. The state wanted to address a public health issue; Ma provided the tools to do so. Ma Baoli wanted official recognition; the Party gave him their endorsement. Once spurned by authority, Ma now found himself wrapped up in its embrace.”
― Yi-Ling Liu, The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet

“In the face of such a terrible event and its incompetent handling by the Ministry of Railways,” the piece began, “we can only express our views by asking—what the fuck?”
― Yi-Ling Liu, The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet