Life

Mario Tama/Getty Images News/Getty Images
These Families Belong Together Quotes For Instagram Are Everything You Want To Say

by Jacqueline Burt Cote

Every day, it seems, there's another horror story resulting from Trump's immigration policy forcing the separation of immigrant families at the border — and every day, it seems, those stories get worse. That's why countless concerned human beings are planning to take part in one of the thousands of Families Belong Together rallies planned for June 30. But if you can't make it to an actual rally, you can still make your voice heard on social media. And if you don't know what to say, that's ok: There are plenty of Families Belong Together quotes for Instagram already in existence that can be recycled for your noble purposes.

Perhaps you, like me, are on the edge of being utterly consumed by feelings of rage, sorrow, and helplessness. You might find that sharing and posting about the situation on social media helps you to feel, for a moment, that you're not just screaming into the void. Posting a photo with a hashtag might seem pointless, but at this point, no action is too small. All of us need to keep posting, and protesting, and making phone calls, and sending emails, and doing anything and everything that has even the slightest chance of getting through to somebody.

So if you can manage to go to a rally, make signs for the whole family to carry. Or get the kids involved in making their own signs, so they can carry the memory of doing their part to fight injustice with them for the rest of their lives. Reading the words of the fearless souls who fought for human rights long before us is proof that the battle against oppression has raged since the beginning of time, and will likely last until the end of time on some level. That doesn't mean we should give up, however; far from it. Instead, it's our duty to pick up and carry on the great work of those who stood up to injustice throughout history. Their efforts were not in vain. Hate will not win.

1

'What Is Done Cannot Be Undone. But One Can Prevent It From Happening Again' — Anne Frank

This remarkably hopeful quote from Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl is a reminder that history need not repeat itself, if only enough people refuse to let it.

2

'A Mother's Love For Her Children Is Like Nothing Else In The World. It Knows No Aw, No Pity, It Dares All Things And Crushes Down Remorselessly All That Stands In Its Path' — Agatha Christie

This passage from Christie's novel A Daughter's Daughter perfectly sums up the force that's driving so many women to do anything and everything they can to bring immigrant families back together: What if that was my child?

3

'Family Is A Life Jacket In The Stormy Sea Of Life' — J.K. Rowling

A simple truth, beautifully expressed, this quote comes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. What happens without a life jacket? People sink.

4

'History Will Judge Us By The Difference We Make In The Everyday Lives Of Children' — Nelson Mandela

As the man who led the emancipation of South Africa and became the country's first black president, Nelson Mandela knew a thing or two about how injustice hurts families.

5

'Love Will Keep Us Together' — Captain & Tennille

Okay, so maybe you never thought of the '70s soft rock hit as the type of song that could inspire social change, but you have to admit it fits this situation rather well.

6

'Humanity Does Not Come With Citizenship... Humanity Does Not Require A Green Card' — Rep. Joe Kennedy III

Kennedy hit the nail on the head while taking part in a recent family separation protest at a "tent city" in Texas.

7

'Justice Will Not Be Served Until Those Who Are Unaffected Are As Outraged As Those Who Are' — Benjamin Franklin

This oft-repeated quote (recently tweeted by Senator Cory Booker) continues to be proven right, time and again.

8

'I Have Always Found That Mercy Bears Richer Fruits Than Strict Justice' — Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln knew these words to be true, as he likewise tried to live by them. And yet, this lesson continues to be ignored by the powers that be.

9

'Civil Disobedience Becomes A Sacred Duty When The State Becomes Lawless And Corrupt' — Gandhi

One need look no further for non-violent inspiration than Gandhi, who understood that legality and morality are not necessarily the same.

10

'Everywhere Immigrants Have Enriched And Strengthened The Fabric Of American Life' — John F. Kennedy, Jr.

JFK, whose great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Ireland, even wrote a book about America's strength in diversity: A Nation of Immigrants, published in 1964.

11