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Quote by Shelby Steele

“I would love to see us, as blacks, get to the place where we say, 'I'm not going to play race games with you. Here I am. This is who I am. Take it or leave it.'”

Quote by Shelby Steele

Author

Shelby Steele is an American author known for his works on race, identity, and culture. His writings delve into the complexities and contradictions of American race relations, particularly the dilemmas of white identity and the complexities of black identity. more

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“My honest opinion is that blacks have to fight much harder for their individuality than whites do.”

Fighting Opinion Honest Harder Individuality

Author:Shelby Steele

“Part of our identity is the idea that racism is still there and that we are vulnerable to it. So, the question is, 'How vulnerable?' In other words, is it really a problem for us, or is it just a small thing. How do you evaluate racism in America on a scale of 1 to 10? My suspicion is that most blacks overrate it a bit. Not to say it's not there, but we overrate it because this masking is part of our relationship to the larger society. This is a way we keep whites on the hook. We keep them obligated, and we keep ourselves entitled. There's an incentive, you see, to inflate it a little bit.”

Way Littles Stills Ideas Problem America Bits Identity Little Bit Racism Scales Vulnerable Our Relationship Suspicion Entitled Hook Incentives Small Things Evaluate Racism In America

Author:Shelby Steele

“For at least another hundred years we must pretend to ourselves and to every one that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice and usury and precaution must be our gods for a little longer still.”

Years Littles Stills Liberty Economic Hundred Fairs Economics Foul Avarice Precaution Usury Avarice Greed

Book:Essays in persuasion

Source: Essays in persuasion

“If you're getting harassed, it's not helpful to know that racism has generally declined in America, when you're still experiencing it. That is a reality that we're still vulnerable to.”

Ifs Knows Stills Reality America Racism Vulnerable Helpful

Author:Shelby Steele

“No matter how accomplished we may be, just any little white person can come up and say, 'Well, you wouldn't be here, if it weren't for Affirmative Action.' You put power in white people's hands, and then they use it against you. It's a trick bag.”

People Ifs Wells May Littles Persons Matter Use Hands Action White Come Up Tricks Accomplished Bags Affirmative Action Affirmative

Author:Shelby Steele

“We have laws on the books. If somebody's discriminating against you, I strongly advocate suing them. That's the most effective thing you can do in terms of fighting racism. People understand that they're vulnerable to lawsuit.”

People Ifs Book Law Fighting Term Can Do Racism Vulnerable Lawsuit Suing

Author:Shelby Steele

“I wrote a piece in the New York Times back in the Nineties saying that racial discrimination ought to be a criminal offense, not just a civil one. I'm all for the criminalization of discrimination.”

Pieces New York Ought Criminals Discrimination Offense New York Times Racial Discrimination

Author:Shelby Steele

“If you are a minority, it is important that you have legal ways to defend yourself in the society in which you live.”

Ifs Way Important Minorities

Author:Shelby Steele

“Whatever I'm doing, I try to write well. I try to give the reader a nice, clean well-written surface, where the writing is transparent. It probably takes me longer to write things, but it's very important to me that the writing itself be good.”

Giving Writing Trying Wells Important Nice Written Reader Clean Surface Be Good Take Me Transparent Well Written

Author:Shelby Steele

“I know that whatever power Shelby Steele has always comes out of the writing. I'm not the greatest television pundit or the best public speaker, so it's my writing that's most important.”

Knows Writing Important Television Speakers Pundits

Author:Shelby Steele