What are some very important quotes from Brown Girl Dreaming?

"I am born as the South explodes,

too many people too many years

enslaved, then emancipated

but not free, the people

who look like me

keep fighting

keep marching

and getting killed

so that today—

February 12, 1963

and every day from this moment on,

brown children like me can grow up

free"

Jacqueline, 2

Brown Girl Dreaming takes place during a crucial time in African American history. The Civil Rights Movement is considered to have taken place between 1954 and 1968, meaning Jacqueline is born nearly a decade into the historic period. However, as noted in this quote, the fight for African American rights and social respect goes further than the Civil Rights Movement. It began when slavery was ended thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation, alluded to by the author's word choice in this poem, and continued for decades because the abolition of slavery did not end the mistreatment of African Americans. This quote is also emblematic of the entire memoir's realistic yet hopeful tone.

"My fingers curl into fists, automatically

This is the way, my mother said,

of every baby's hand.

I do not know if these hands will become

Malcolm's—raised and fisted

or Martin's—open and asking

or James's—curled around a pen.

I do not know if these hands will be

Rosa's

or Ruby's

gently gloved

and fiercely folded

calmly in a lap,

on a desk,

around a book,

ready

to change the world"

Jacqueline, 5

In this quote, the author alludes to many significant figures in the Civil Rights Movement. She refers to these figures—Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges—by first name to indicate a certain love and familiarity she holds for them. Through using their examples, Woodson shows that there are many ways one can participate in a revolution. The inclusion of Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to integrate a white Southern elementary school, is especially important because as a woman and a child, Ruby Bridges is the most similar to Jacqueline and perhaps the least likely to be included in traditional narratives of the revolution. By comparing Jacqueline's natural inclination to make her hands into fists as a baby to the hands of these significant figures in African American History, she communicates empowerment and hope and inspired curiosity in the reader as to what the character will become.

"Will the words end, I ask

whenever I remember to.

Nope, my sister says, all of five years old now,

and promising me

infinity"

Jacqueline, 63

From a young age, Jacqueline is intrigued by words, writing, and stories. This quote comes from the poem in which Jacqueline writes the letter J for the first time. Just by writing one letter, Jacqueline feels exposed to a world of infinite possibility. The moment is also meaningful because it is a positive experience between siblings whose relationship will later become somewhat strained by the expectations of formal education. Though Odella has more talent for school, at this young age, she is willing to help her younger sister get a head start on writing. Jacqueline's interest in the many possibilities opened through writing and language later lead to her career as a respected author.