“Time begins the healing process of wounds cut deeply by oppression. We soothe ourselves with the salve of attempted indifference, accepting the false pattern set up by the horrible restriction of Jim Crow laws.”
- February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005
- American
- Civil Rights Activist, Symbol of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
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Quote
“Time begins the healing process of wounds cut deeply by oppression. We soothe ourselves with the salve of attempted indifference, accepting the false pattern set up by the horrible restriction of Jim Crow laws.”
Explanation
In this reflective quote, Rosa Parks acknowledges the long-lasting emotional scars caused by systemic oppression, particularly under the Jim Crow laws. The phrase “wounds cut deeply by oppression” vividly conveys the pain endured by African Americans, not just physically but psychologically and spiritually. Yet she notes that time plays a role in beginning the healing, even though the damage runs deep.
Parks also warns of a dangerous coping mechanism: “the salve of attempted indifference.” This suggests that people often try to numb their pain by pretending not to care or by adapting to injustice. Such indifference, however, leads to internalizing false norms, where the abnormal becomes accepted simply for survival. Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation, were not just external rules—they shaped people’s thoughts, emotions, and sense of worth.
Even today, Parks’ words resonate. Social and racial injustice continues to leave wounds, and societies may still seek comfort in denial or complacency. Her insight challenges us to recognize those false patterns and to consciously reject narratives that normalize inequality. Healing, she implies, does not come from forgetting or ignoring, but from confronting the truth and actively working toward justice and dignity.
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