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Systemic Racism Quotes

Browse 199 quotes about Systemic Racism.

Systemic Racism Quotes

“Indifference is silent, so is realization, but the difference between the two is that the silence of indifference sustains a life of complacency, whereas the silence of realization pours in your veins such courage that you no longer are able to maintain indifference of any sort - wherever and whenever you see injustice and discrimination you leap in revolution - you leap with a strong conviction of equality and humaneness - you leap in an act of revolution.”

“Cruising down Compton Boulevard in the Catalina, Mickey sensed the charged atmosphere of the place, an energy that said anything could happen. Young men loitered in groups on the sidewalks in baggy T-shirts and bandannas while young women strolled up and down, smirking at the men hollering after them and whistling. When traffic lights turned red, blank-faced children appeared out of the darkness under overpasses like wraiths to sell drugs to drivers. Prostitutes wobbled along the streets on high heels, many of them with the vacant gaze of the addicted, while men with hard hearts and a lust for blood watched their every move. All the while well-intentioned families who called Compton home got ground up in the giant machine of this nation, slipping further toward poverty and the tragic moment when pressing need overtakes good intentions. Even still, Compton was no longer what it once was. Ten years ago, Mickey might not have driven through it, and certainly wouldn’t have stopped and wandered around. But the homicide rate had decreased steadily since ’94, down to forty-eight murders in ’98 from a peak of eighty-seven in ’91, and small businesses were slowly but surely returning to the city. It bothered Mickey deeply that the state of California, with an economy greater than that of most countries, wouldn’t help these people, or that the federal government of the United States, the richest country in the history of the world, wouldn’t help them either, instead spending hundreds of billions of dollars per year on warfare and destruction. The people of Compton could be lifted from poverty with the signing of a bill, and it was no wonder, when you got right down to it, why so many had resorted to crime.”

“Intellectually just saying "all lives matter", you may feel very good about yourself, you may feel, "I am so profound, I go beyond what people are able to see", but actually you do not see anything, you don't see the basic issues that people face, you don't see the ground-level problems that people face, you don't see the regular hate that people face, in their everyday walk of life, you are just a closet philosopher who loves to feel good in glorifying the indifference of the society.”

“If we analyze white supremacy from the philosophical lens of Star Wars, then it is all the Sith Lords, the Empire, and the First Order commanded by the Dark Side of the Force. It wants to dominate and impose its will on all galaxies, even those far, far away. Let’s just call this insidious force THE WHITENESS. The Whiteness’s ability to inspire fear and anger is so strong that it corrupted many well-​intentioned people, including people of color, to vote for an incompetent vulgarian in 2016 and 2020. It deludes many liberal and “moderate” whites into believing that they are the “good” ones who are committed to social justice as they talk about white privilege but never actually give up any of it. Still, they’ll have these discussions about racial equality with their white friends in establishments with white patrons from white neighborhoods—​without including the rest of us. The Whiteness has always played for all the marbles. It’s not interested in diplomacy, a representative government, free and fair elections, equitable pay, and a delicious buffet of meals from a multitude of countries. It needs a border wall, a Muslim Ban, and affirmative action for wealthy white students at Yale University. It’s a system, a structure, a paradigm, an ideology whose ultimate goal is domination and submission by any means necessary.”

“It's not enough to leave the jungle, we have to throw the jungle off our heart. It's not enough to leave the caves, we have to smash the caves within. Only then shall we instill the greenery of gentleness in this cold world of concrete.”

“We Are All Racist (The Sonnet) If we are still uncomfortable to face, The roots of racism, how can we uproot racism! Unless we recognize our tendency for division, How can we ever be the cause of universalism! The fundamental fact of human nature is, We are a septic tank of prehistoric biases. Sectarianism comes to us far too easily, For we are all fundamentally racist. Cruelty is the mainspring of survival in the wild, So our brain leans more towards cruelty than kindness. Millions of years of conditioning won't vanish overnight, We must self-regulate with our newly developed conscience. The end of racism starts with the recognition of racism. We are civilized only when we recognize our uncivilization.”

“Human and Love (The Sonnet) The day human and love are the same thing, The day human and harmony are the same thing, The day human and inclusion are the same thing, The day human and acceptance are the same thing, The day human and reason are the same thing, The day human and emotion are the same thing, The day human and duty are the same thing, The day human and dignity are the same thing, The day human and persistence are the same thing, The day human and perseverance are the same thing, The day human and resilience are the same thing, The day human and character are the same thing, The day self and society are the same thing, That day each of us will be a human being.”

“Remove the ism, you got race. Remove the race, you got the human. Remove the man, you got who? Remove the who, and you got no clue. Now we can start, without any predominance. Let us discover life, in its full magnificence.”

“The problem of systemic racism is much bigger than mere reparations can solve. I am not opposing reparations mark you, but the only thing that can actually make any difference is an everyday, ordinary and yet incorruptible regard for human life in every single person regardless of their color.”

“The Country Sonnet I stand beneath the southern sky, Looking up at the heavenly bodies. The twinkling stars know no color, Then why we mortals beneath act so puny! Country means heart, country means humility, All that is pure is born in the country. How could we poison its innocent soul, By our savage escapades of bigotry! It's high time we be the example of kindness, For the streams of Mississippi carry acceptance. Behold ye all blind with confederate pride, Conscience rises above the Blue Ridge Mountains. Let's resuscitate the country with love and passion. We'll turn this land into a cradle of amalgamation.”

“Most of the world's geniuses are non-whites, not because it's genetic, but because, like white people inherit blonde hair and blue eyes, or daddy's emeralds, we inherit generational persecution, and any brain forced to endure persecution as daily chore, becomes a powerhouse of apparently supernatural mental faculties.”

“Take a drop of blood from your heart, take a drop of blood from the world, mix it up on the palm of your hand - now tell me, which is which? Can you? Why not? Because you've always paid attention to the vessel, but not to the life within, and now that there is no vessel, only the life remains, you can't tell one life from another, it's all one.”

“Honor He Wrote Sonnet 78 Two is better than one, Seven billion is better than two. It's okay to collide on occasion so long as, We're by each other when we are in doo-doo. Every time we hold hands, magic happens, This ain't the magic of our ignorant ancestors. I am talkin' about the mortal magic of diversity, The power that comes to life when we're together. Remember this simple principle my friend, Those who fall together, fly together. Arms are just arms when separated, But shield when held together. We are a blessing when we stand together. When divided, we are our worst nightmare.”

“I envision a valley, beyond red and blue, beyond flags and barbwires, beyond capitols and churches, where our descendants will sit together around a campfire and tell each other stories of the olden days - "remember when our ancestors used to live in tribes - they called it religion, nation, race and all that - how silly right!" I work towards that future.”

“Shades of Brown (The Sonnet) There is no white skin, There is no black skin. All of us are shades of brown, If we can reason without stereotyping. Climate makes the difference in color, But not in character of the individual. Human character knows no geography, For a being of character is human above all. The idea of race is a myth most foul, Born of ignorance and narrowness. Now we live in a different time, That requires abolition of divisiveness. Discard those traditions and live as sapient. Let's build a world where color ain't relevant.”