Malcolm Jenkins Quotes

Powerful Malcolm Jenkins for Daily Growth

About Malcolm Jenkins

Malcolm J. Jenkins is an accomplished author, activist, and professional football player hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana. Born on August 19, 1988, he attended the Isidore Newman School before attending college at the University of Florida, where he studied both psychology and criminal justice. In the world of sports, Jenkins has established himself as a cornerstone defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League (NFL). However, his passion extends far beyond the football field. His literary pursuits have resulted in the publication of "The Other Side of a Coin: Understanding and Overcoming Mental Health Issues in the NFL" (2019), where he opens up about his personal experiences with mental health issues during his career as an athlete. Jenkins' writing is deeply influenced by his upbringing in New Orleans, a city that has faced significant adversity, including Hurricane Katrina and systemic racial injustice. This has shaped his perspective on social justice and driven him to become an active advocate for various causes, particularly those related to police brutality and criminal justice reform. He co-founded the Taylor Foundation with his wife, Jordan Darnell, which provides opportunities for underprivileged youth. His work as a writer, athlete, and activist demonstrates Jenkins' unwavering commitment to using his platform to create positive change in society while breaking down barriers around mental health discussions within the sports community.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I believe that change does not come from up above, but from within and from the collective actions of individuals."

This quote suggests that meaningful change doesn't originate from a central authority or external sources, but rather from individual initiatives and collective action. It underscores the idea that for societal transformation to occur, it's essential for people to take responsibility, engage, and work together. In essence, it emphasizes the power of grassroots movements and personal empowerment in driving positive change.


"We have a responsibility to be active participants in our communities, and to use our platforms to bring about positive change."

This quote highlights the importance for individuals, especially those with influence or public platforms, to engage proactively within their communities towards fostering a more beneficial environment. It underscores that having the ability to reach people provides an opportunity to make constructive impacts and instigate positive change. In essence, it encourages personal responsibility and impactful community involvement for greater societal good.


"It's important for us to recognize our power as individuals and as a community, and to use that power to create real, lasting change."

This quote emphasizes the significance of personal and collective agency in bringing about meaningful and enduring change. Malcolm Jenkins encourages recognizing one's individual influence while stressing the importance of unity within communities to effect transformative action. Essentially, it advocates for empowerment and solidarity as essential tools for social progress and positive change.


"I think the best way to combat systemic oppression is to expose it, to educate people about it, and to work together to dismantle it."

This quote by Malcolm Jenkins highlights a three-pronged strategy for combating systemic oppression: exposure, education, and collective action. Exposure involves making the harmful, often hidden aspects of systemic oppression visible to the public. This can help generate empathy, understanding, and motivation among people to take action against these injustices. Education is crucial for fostering knowledge and awareness about the roots, consequences, and mechanisms of systemic oppression. By educating ourselves and others, we can develop critical thinking skills necessary to challenge and change the status quo. Finally, working together is essential to dismantle systemic oppression. Collective action allows individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to unite in their efforts towards social justice. Through cooperation and solidarity, we can create lasting change and build a more equitable society for all.


"My hope is that through my actions both on and off the field, I can inspire others to use their voices and their platforms to make a difference in their communities."

Malcolm Jenkins encourages using one's influence, whether it be through personal accomplishments (on-field) or public standing (off-field), to motivate others into speaking up and taking action for community improvement. He emphasizes the power of individual contributions towards collective change.


It's actually been pretty liberating for me to fully get behind a cause that I feel is worthy and to stand on it and to follow where my heart takes me.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Behind, Pretty, Been, Liberating

Sports is something that transcends generations, transcends backgrounds, cultures, races. And so the power of sports is real.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Sports, Transcends, Races, Backgrounds

To be in a situation where you have another year on your deal and the team still wants to extend that - they see your value, they want you in the building, and they want to build around you - that speaks volumes. That's very, very important to a player like me.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Year, Deal, Very, Extend

I've always been a little 'preppy street.' That's how I would describe it. I'm not all the way into street wear, but I am not all the way into a suit and tie either, so I try to combine that look.

- Malcolm Jenkins

How, Been, Wear, Preppy

After spending time with police officers on ride-alongs, meeting with politicians on the state and federal level and grass roots organizations fighting for human rights, it's clear that our criminal justice system is still crippling communities of color through mass incarceration.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Police Officers, Through, Federal Level

For myself and the Players Coalition, it was never about the money or having our voices bought. To hear people call me or anyone else a sell-out is insulting. It has always been, and will always be, about lifting the voices of the people and the work of those that fight for them.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Been, About, Our, Hear People

The crime bill basically incentivized the prison system. There were quotas, mandatory minimums. You have to serve 85 percent of your time, so it is guaranteeing that bodies will always be locked up. And that went mostly towards minority communities and poor communities, where crime is more rampant.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Serve, Mostly, Bodies, Locked

It's important for students to learn to make smart money management decisions before heading off to college or the entering the workforce.

- Malcolm Jenkins

College, Learn, Before, Workforce

We've been doing work outside of the anthem since the beginning. Before the anthem even started, players were involved in these types of social justice issues. The anthem protests or demonstrations just brought eyes and attention to it.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Doing, Been, Anthem, Protests

I want to thank the fans across the country who have supported me in this effort to fight for equality and justice. I want to thank those that have dedicated their lives to this fight, as I know that it is not easy. And I want to challenge those who stay silent to be courageous and use your platforms to become part of the solution. God Bless.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Country, Part, Use, Platforms

When you have your star players that decide to use their platform, one, their platforms are bigger than everyone else's, and two, they're a force to be reckoned with because teams don't want to lose that talent. They're a force to be heard.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Decide, Use, Your, Platforms

Donald Trump is a divisive name in a locker room.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Trump, Divisive, Donald, Locker Room

I think when you have a group of guys that care about the community, the city, care about each other, it just makes for a unique locker room.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Think, Other, I Think, Locker Room

I don't claim to be a fashionista.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Claim

If you know anything about the issues in our country, you know we have a lot of deep-rooted anger and anxieties that spark a lot of passion. When you talk about our national anthem or the flag or race relations or the criminal justice system, it brings up a lot of those fears and insecurities.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Country, Flag, Anthem, Spark

I want to see changes in our criminal justice system.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Want, See, System, Criminal Justice System

The people who have been unjustly disenfranchised by our criminal justice system and the people who daily fight for them always have, and always will be, the inspiration and focus of my efforts.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Will, Always, Been, Criminal Justice System

Our biggest thing is, any player who's protesting will tell you that the only reason we use the anthem is because it's a platform like no other. We use it to draw attention to other issues. We've heard from many people, 'Use a different venue. Use a different platform.' Quite frankly, this is the most effective one.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Reason, Other, Venue, Protesting

You've got a bunch of kids out here that might not want to be athletes, but they want to learn how to make a difference in their community, and I'm trying to as best I can show an example of that.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Learn, Here, Might, Make A Difference

I will shop at Asos or Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters is probably where I buy most of my stuff from. I mix and match from different places.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Will, Shop, Different Places, Mix

Once you look up, and it's Week 14 or 15, and it's crunch time, you can't all of a sudden turn on a switch and say, 'Hey guys, we have to step up and be brothers, be family.' That's stuff that is developed in the offseason, training camp, or throughout the season.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Week, Crunch, Brothers, Camp

Communities of color have also had to watch video after video of unarmed black men and women being handled without regard for their lives or well-being. As a black man, I see these images, and I see myself; I wonder whether this will happen to me or one of my loved ones.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Color, I See, Had, I Wonder

I've never been incarcerated; I don't deal with these things on a day-to-day basis in my own personal life, but I have family members that do. I have friends that do. I have people in the city that I live in, Philadelphia, that are dealing with this on a daily basis.

- Malcolm Jenkins

City, Deal, Been, Family Members

You can't expect to go about change - especially change of this nature, when you talk about racial equality and justice - you can't expect to go about or engage in that without resistance, and so you're going to have some people who aren't on board.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Racial, Some, About, Board

A lot of guys try to stay out of the political limelight because you have things like endorsements; you have fans and all these other things that you represent.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Political, Other, Like, Limelight

We are fighting to pass clean-slate legislation in Pennsylvania to seal nonviolent misdemeanor records automatically after 10 years. We must provide opportunities for employment, housing, education, loans, and voting. We should not disenfranchise a third of the population.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Education, Housing, Records, Legislation

I've seen signs of life with regards to bipartisan support for criminal justice reform, but the support does not reflect the necessary urgency for real reform. This must be made a priority.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Real, Necessary, Made, Criminal

For me, I'm a bit of a control freak.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Me, Control, Freak, Control Freak

I remember my dad always complaining about getting pulled over. I remember the differences in school systems. I remember seeing police officers, not knowing their names, and knowing that they were there not to protect us, not to serve us, but to watch us.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Police Officers, Dad, Not Knowing

Government and companies working together to support parents, teachers, and mentors within the community can give kids a strong background in financial literacy.

- Malcolm Jenkins

Strong, Give, Within, Working Together

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