“Have you ever been hurt and the place tries to heal a bit, and you just pull the scar off of it over and over again.”
- February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005
- American
- Civil Rights Activist, Symbol of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
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Quote
“Have you ever been hurt and the place tries to heal a bit, and you just pull the scar off of it over and over again.”
Explanation
In this metaphorical and emotionally raw quote, Rosa Parks captures the recurring pain of racial trauma and unresolved injustice. She compares emotional and psychological wounds to physical injuries—the kind that struggle to heal because they are constantly reopened. The image of “pulling the scar off” conveys how past hurts, especially those inflicted by systemic racism, cannot easily fade when the conditions that caused them persist.
This statement resonates deeply with the Black experience in the United States, particularly during Parks’ lifetime. Even after the end of slavery and the legal victories of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans continued to face discrimination, exclusion, and emotional harm. Parks’ reflection illustrates that healing is not possible in an environment where oppression continues or is routinely denied.
Today, this quote holds meaning for anyone dealing with generational trauma, institutional injustice, or personal grief that society refuses to fully address. It reminds us that healing requires not just time, but a commitment to remove the source of pain. Parks’ words call for empathy, awareness, and most importantly, lasting change that allows scars to close, rather than be constantly torn open by repeated harm.
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