36 Margo Jefferson Quotes for You to Enjoy

Margo Jefferson

American Critic

Born: Oct 17, 1947

Black Me People Think White You

Related authors: George Steiner Henry Louis Gates James Wolcott Kimberly Guilfoyle Margaret Fuller Pauline Kael Roger Ebert bell hooks

In many ways, everything about my upbringing decreed that I wouldn't write a memoir because in the world where I grew up, in Chicago in the Fifties and Sixties, one key way of protesting ourselves - 'we' meaning black people - against racism, against its stereotypes and its insults, was to curate and narrate very carefully the story of the people. Margo Jefferson

Racism People World Key Black Carefully Everything Way Ways Ourselves Memoir About Write Stereotypes Because Protesting Insults Chicago Up Very Curate Upbringing Sixties Where Grew Story Against Meaning Fifties Many

As a little girl in the '50s, I couldn't wear a purple-and-white flowered skirt with a red blouse - those colors were too loud. My parents were not into that 'We are Negros that wear all beige,' but there was a line you could walk over that could signal vulgar, crass, rather than clever use of color. And that outfit crossed over the line. Margo Jefferson

You Walk Girl Parents Clever Too Those Signal Wear Outfit Crossed Rather Color Could Colors Red Over Vulgar Line Were Loud Than Little Little Girl Use Skirt

Even criticism is more interesting when the writer's authority does not only come through this omniscient narrator, but through questions, ambivalence, vulnerability. A mind questioning and on the move, not just settling down and declaring - that's one of the most interesting possibilities. Margo Jefferson

Mind Criticism Down Omniscient Settling Possibilities More Only Through Writer Come Most Vulnerability Does Narrator Questioning Questions Ambivalence Authority Move Just Interesting Declaring Even

The burden of being a constant symbol, of having to live up to a symbol of advancement, of progress, of being perfect in some way and always representing the destiny of an entire people - that is supposed to be invincibility. That's enormous. Margo Jefferson

People Progress Burden Live Enormous Way Destiny Constant Some Entire Having Perfect Advancement Supposed Always Up Representing Being Symbol

I would certainly say that my life, and perhaps human life in general, follows an intricate pattern of defining, declaring, struggling for, fighting for what we think of and treasure as the self. The inviolate self. This begins with our families: your parents are part of your cultural landscape, and they are also shaped by larger forces than them. Margo Jefferson

Life My Life Parents Fighting Think Our Say Defining Intricate Would Follows General Struggling Shaped Self Part Perhaps Also Forces Cultural Families Than Begins Human Pattern Them Declaring Landscape Human Life Your Certainly Larger Treasure

Noir is a court of human relations, and some crimes are beyond legal restitution. Margo Jefferson

Legal Relations Crimes Some Noir Beyond Court Human Human Relations

My mother was not happy with the Afros that my friends and I emerged with - there's that crack in the book of 'Why, if a fly landed in there, he'd break his little wings trying to get out.' I was not pure dashiki, though - I was a combination of African dresses, miniskirts, tank tops, shawls, ethnic-looking earrings, sandals. Margo Jefferson

Happy Book Mother Fly Pure Earrings Though Tops Out Dresses Emerged Wings He Combination Tank His Friends Crack Get Trying African Break Little Landed Why

You were not supposed to show off in Negroland because you are supposed to be perfectly decorous and well behaved. You were also not supposed to tell any stories that reflected badly on the group because that reflected badly on the race. I use past tense, but it still feels like present tense. Margo Jefferson

You Past Show Off Group Tell Badly Tense Perfectly Feels Like Supposed Also Well Because Still Were Off Reflected Behaved Any Stories Race Use Show Present Present Tense

I think, for a while, there was a kind of debate about whether you could bring back Negro and reclaim it, and then it was black versus African American; now I have noticed in conversation that black people will use all three terms depending on context. I don't advocate one term. Margo Jefferson

You Conversation People Debate Will Black Three Think Back Reclaim Kind About Could Term Terms Advocate Context Versus American Depending African African-American Whether While Then Noticed Use Now Bring

There are still Negro elites. Many of them are obviously much richer, and perhaps a little more integrated into what remains a white power structure. But those old rituals from the social clubs, to the broadly segregated white and black schools, to an obsessive interest in ancestry, all of that does still exist. Look: we are a class-bound society. Margo Jefferson

Old Black Power White Society Those Ancestry Structure More Segregated Remains Rituals Power Structure Obsessive Perhaps Look Schools Obviously Does Still Integrated Exist Interest Clubs Little Social Them Much Richer Many Elites

When people start reconfiguring marriage, there's no going back. Margo Jefferson

Marriage People Back Going Start

Negroland is my name for a small region of Negro America where residents were sheltered by a certain amount of privilege and plenty. Children in Negroland were warned that few Negroes enjoyed privilege or plenty and that most whites would be glad to see them returned to indigence, deference and subservience. Margo Jefferson

Few Negroes Plenty Would Would-Be See Small Glad Name Most Returned Sheltered Were Privilege America Where Children Region Them Warned Certain Whites Residents Amount Enjoyed

Criticism does demand a certain kind of authority, but what about the authority of not really being sure what you think? What about the authority, the authenticity that comes from bringing all your intellectual, emotional and spiritual equipment to a piece of art or entertainment whilst still being uncertain and confused? Margo Jefferson

Art Spiritual You Entertainment Confused Criticism Think Kind About Uncertain Emotional Demand Piece Sure Does Equipment Still Intellectual Authenticity Authority Being Whilst Really Certain Your Bringing

There isn't only one way that black art or entertainment is represented, and that's the most important thing. We're permeating every style. We're claiming and, when necessary, appropriating all kinds of forms. Nothing is forbidden, because it's not what black people do: because it's not what we think of as black art. Margo Jefferson

Art Entertainment People Black Important Style Nothing Every Think Way Claiming Kinds One-Way Only Only One Way Most Forbidden Most Important Thing Because Important Thing The Most Important Forms Thing Necessary

Since pre-Emancipation, black 'females' have had to fight for the whites-only privilege of being deemed 'ladies': cultured, educated, sexually desirable in a socially respected way. Michelle Obama has managed to get all this without yielding her right to be smart and strong-willed. Margo Jefferson

Fight Smart Black Respected Way Obama Sexually Strong-Willed Had Since Without Females Educated Cultured Privilege Yielding Michelle Michelle Obama Get Ladies Being Deemed Her Right Socially Desirable

My parents always told my sister and me that if we wanted to, we could be doctors and lawyers, like my father and his brothers, like some of their women friends. Denise and I had art in our sights, though. Margo Jefferson

Several elementary school teachers had described me as a 'future authoress or poetess.' Mother took me to meet Chicago's leading black librarian, who published a poem of mine in the magazine she edited for Negro children. Margo Jefferson

Future Me School Mother Black Took Meet Mine Several Librarian Magazine Poem Had Leading School Teachers She Edited Chicago Children Teachers Who Elementary Elementary School Published

Like dancers with choreography or actors with scripts, jazz singers could take material that was known, even loved, then risk interpreting and revising it. They could conceal even as they revealed themselves. Inflection, timing and tonality were their language, at least as much as words. Margo Jefferson

Words Language Timing Jazz Dancers Risk Could Take Conceal Like Singers Known Revealed Material Least Were Revising Loved Scripts Themselves Then Much Even Choreography Actor Tonality Interpreting

Michael Jackson was one of popular culture's greatest artists. Nobody danced better. Few sang more compellingly. No one understood more about stage spectacles or music videos. He was an innovator. His reach was global. Margo Jefferson

Music Culture Better Videos Few Stage Danced Innovator Music Videos About More No-One He Nobody Global Reach Greatest Understood His Michael Michael Jackson Jackson Artists Sang Popular Spectacles

I think, probably, socially, in some ways New York may be the least American city. It represents too many things that Americans really don't entirely want in their lives. Margo Jefferson

Think Too Ways City Some Entirely New Least American York May New York Represents Want Really Many Lives Socially Things

New Yorkers know how to borrow wildly. You know, Louis Armstrong was not a New York musician. He went from New Orleans to Chicago to New York, and when he arrived here, he taught those New Yorkers. New York needs that infusion. Margo Jefferson

Needs You Wildly Those Musician Borrow He New Know Armstrong How Arrived New Orleans Chicago Louis Louis Armstrong York Taught New York New Yorkers Infusion Orleans Here

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