The world itself is so full of changes - of negotiations, changes of position, seeing things one way, then another, gauging responses, status changes that can happen in an instant. Margo Jefferson fullgaugehappen Change image and share on social
Yes, for blacks, racism functions without the actual presence of whites, just as for whites it functions without the actual presence of blacks! Beliefs, conventions, history do the work. Margo Jefferson actualbeliefblack Change image and share on social
'Melancholy' is prettier than 'depression'; it connotes a kind of nocturnal grace. Makes one feel more innocently beleaguered. Margo Jefferson beleaguerconnotedepression Change image and share on social
Noir is a court of human relations, and some crimes are beyond legal restitution. Margo Jefferson courtcrimehuman Change image and share on social
We have a myth of the classless society. You won't hear an American politician apart from Bernie Sanders talk about the working class. We are all middle class, apparently. Margo Jefferson americanapparentlybernie Change image and share on social
In general, fashion is decorative, it's protective, it acknowledges that the world does involve conflict, and you might be attacked by assumptions, presumptions, and attitudes. Margo Jefferson acknowledgeassumptionattack Change image and share on social
When people start reconfiguring marriage, there's no going back. Margo Jefferson backmarriagepeople Change image and share on social
I was born in 1947, and my generation, like its predecessors, was taught that since our achievements received little notice or credit from white America, we were not to discuss our faults, lapses, or uncertainties in public. Margo Jefferson achievementamericabear share on social
I think it's too easy to recount your unhappy memories when you write about yourself. You bask in your own innocence. You revere your grief. You arrange your angers at their most becoming angles. Margo Jefferson angeranglearrange Change image and share on social
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 badlybehavedecorous share on social