When children and youth are deprived of their right to education, their community is deprived of a sustainable future. It is all the more true with refugees. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
We’re supposed to be an example of freedom, and if we are doing things that are injustice to people, then what is our statement? Forest Whitaker Read Quote
I try to be like a forest, revitalizing and constantly growing… Kids would tease me, calling me ‘Little Bush.’ But… I thought being called Forest helped me find my identity. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
In high school, I did some musicals, but I never took acting until college. I was studying opera, classical voice, and a speech teacher asked me to audition for this play, and I got the lead. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
Directing is more comfortable for me because, as an actor, there’s always something inherently false. Because I’m not that person. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
I am just back from South Sudan, one of the world’s most fragile nations. For years, I have been moved by the kind people who maintain hope that they will live to see peace. My heart has ached for them, as they have endured pain and violence that make such hope feel out of reach. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
Our leaders must hear us speaking on behalf of our brothers and sisters in South Sudan. If the moral duty to save lives and work toward peace is not compelling enough to drive decision-makers, we must remind them that we care and will hold them accountable. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
When we talk about the issue of child soldiers, it can be easy to focus just on ending recruitment and liberating those boys and girls who are currently being held in military camps. Obviously, both of these are incredibly important goals, but it’s also essential that we not forget about former child soldiers once they are liberated. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
For many child soldiers, war and violence are all they have ever known. If we don’t take it upon ourselves to show them an alternative, then they’re going to be soldiers forever, and they’ll continue to be recruited and to participate in violence if another conflict starts five or 10 years down the road. Forest Whitaker Read Quote
As human beings, we all have reasons for our behavior. There may be people who have certain physiological issues that dictate why they make certain choices. On the whole, though, I think we’re dictated by our structure, our past, our environment, our culture. So once you understand the patterns that shape a person, how can you not find sympathy? Forest Whitaker Read Quote
