There are two things that have always haunted me: the brutality of the European traders and the stories I've heard about Africans selling other Africans into slavery.
Henry Louis GatesRead
In America there is institutional racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in this room - and we have to become sensitive to it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Institutional racism is a pervasive issue in America that affects everyone, and we must become aware of it.
Henry Louis Gates highlights that institutional racism is not just an issue limited to certain individuals but rather a problem that permeates society and is inherited by all. Just like we breathe the air around us unconsciously, we often partake in the systemic inequalities that exist; thus, it is crucial for everyone to become aware and sensitive to this reality in order to foster change and understanding.
Themes
Institutional RacismAwarenessSensitivitySocietyInequality
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on diversity and inclusion, you could use this quote to illustrate the importance of recognizing systemic issues.
More from Henry Louis Gates
All quotes βIt's not white versus black any more, it's haves versus have-nots. Unless the black middle-classes unite to promote the interests of the black underclass, tension between them is inevitable. What we, the black middle class have to do, is think of a strategy to avert that.
Henry Louis GatesRead
In fact, the class divide in the black community is now seen by some as a permanent aspect of our existence.
Henry Louis GatesRead
The historical basis for the gap between the black middle class and underclass shows that ending discrimination, by itself, would not eradicate black poverty and dysfunction. We also need intervention to promulgate a middle-class ethic of success among the poor, while expanding opportunities for economic betterment.
Henry Louis GatesRead
The only people who live in a post-black world are four people who live in a little white house on Pennsylvania Avenue. The idea that America is post-racial or post-black because a man I admire, Barack Obama, is president of the United States, is a joke. And I hope no one will even wonder about this crazy fiction again.
Henry Louis GatesRead
Very few, if any, first-generation black or white or Asian kids will pursue a Ph.D. They'll pursue the professions for economic security. Many will go to law school and/or business school.
Henry Louis GatesRead
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