Freedom is neither guaranteed nor automatic; not even in the United States. Left unguarded, it can slip away like a thief in the night.
Joy ReidRead
To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how white individuals in America often feel entitled to public spaces without questioning that privilege.
Joy Reid's quote reflects on the ingrained privilege experienced by white individuals in America, suggesting that this privilege is often accompanied by a sense of ownership over public spaces. It speaks to the broader societal dynamics of race and identity, emphasizing that this unchallenged confidence can come at the expense of marginalized communities, thus inviting reflection on issues of equity and representation in shared spaces.
Themes
PrivilegeRacePublic SpacesOwnershipSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on racial privilege during a community meeting.
More from Joy Reid
All quotes βTo be white in America is to have the confidence to say, without a second thought: this space, this neighborhood, this city, this county, this country is mine.
Joy ReidRead
The work of anti-racism can only take place inside each individual soul, where we all try to grow into better people. There is no national tonic or instant cure.
Joy ReidRead
There is a twinge of abandonment that comes with being a member of the African Diaspora. But 'Black Panther' fearlessly introduces and then complicates this and other deeply held albeit rarely expressed emotions; that indeed is what makes this film so profoundly innovative.
Joy ReidRead
For millions of Americans who happen to be black or brown, that core bond of trust with the government that governs closest to you, is too often broken.
Joy ReidRead
Similar quotes
All great religions, in order to escape absurdity, have to admit a dilution of agnosticism. It is only the savage, whether of the African bush or the American gospel tent, who pretends to know the will and intent of God exactly and completely.
H. L. MenckenRead
Dear God, help me. Do not forget me on this tiny cinder lost in a galaxy that is lostβa heart no bigger than a speck of dust beating, beating against death, against meaninglessness, against guilt, against sorrow.
Anne RiceRead
O what a blessing is Sunday, interposed between the waves of worldly business like the divine path of the Israelites through the sea! There is nothing in which I would advise you to be more strictly conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath day holy. I can truly declare that to me the Sabbath has been invaluable.
William WilberforceRead
Every time we sit at a table at night or in the morning to enjoy the fruits and grain and vegetables from our good earth, remember that they come from the work of men and women and children who have been exploited for generations.
Cesar ChavezRead
The other salient characteristic of the Declaration is its universality: it applies to all human beings without any discrimination whatever; it also applies to all territories, whatever their economic or political regime.
Rene CassinRead
What we celebrate at Christmas is not so much the birth of a baby, but the incarnation of God Himself
R. C. SproulRead