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Barack Obama is the president of the United States of America.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

[E]mpathy – not squishy self-serving conflict avoidance – is the hand-maiden, not the enemy, of reason and intellectual inquiry.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Avoidance Conflict Empathy Hand Intellectual Maiden Self Serve
Never forget that for 250 years black people were born into chains-whole generations followed by more generations who knew nothing but chains.
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Black Chain Follow Forget Free Generation Knew Nothing Year
My mom used to tell me, I can’t use this phrase on the radio – but basically don’t be one of those dudes hanging on the corner.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Basically Corner Dude Hang Me Mom Phrase Phrases Radio Use
Just because you came here in 1880, 1950, whenever, you became an American. You get to celebrate July 4th like every other American.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Become Celebrate Celebration Country Day July
They’re right there waiting for it. A community of people who’ve been denied wealth, denied wealth-building opportunities, are right there. And the banks went right after them.
TA-NEHISI COATES

After Bank Community Denied Opportunities People Right Wait Wealth
And I think that’s reflected in the fact that, when we have problems that really are problems of employment, that are really problems of mental health, that are really problems of drugs, our answer is the police.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Answer Employment Fact Health Poice Problem Really Reflect
I think there’s a sort of, you know, very thin way of reading this that says, well, Barack Obama is biracial thus that gives him some understanding of both white America and black America, but that’s not really it.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Biracial Country Know People Person Reading Say Some Sort Thinking Under White
[Grew up in Hawaii] that gave [Barack Obama] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an ability to trust, you know, in his fellow, you know, white countrymen in a way that I, for instance, you know, and the vast majority of black people I know never really could.
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Ability Frankly Gave Optimism People Thing Trust White
Lot of folks like to mock dumb history, and pretend it’s just a few idiots. Isn’t. It’s the country.
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Country Dumb Folk History Idiot Lot Mock Pretend
I mean, the president, you know, at one point when he was campaigning said I believe that Donald Trump was not qualified to run a 7-Eleven.
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Believe Campaigning Country Eleven Personality President Run Seven
The essence of American racism is disrespect.
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Country Disrespect Essence Racism
I think the sad fact is, there’s a long history in this country at looking at African-American as subhuman.
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Country History Long Look Said Thinking
The symbolism was in – and this sounds really, really small, but it’s actually big for African-Americans – the symbolism was not in being an embarrassment, but to being a figure that folks were actually proud of.
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Actually Always Embarrassment Folk Future Really Small Sound Symbolism
I did not know then that this is what life is – just when you master the geometry of one world, it slips away, and suddenly again, you’re swarmed by strange shapes and impossible angles.
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Geometry Impossible Life Master One Shape Strange Suddenly World
I’m asking you as an American to see all of the freedoms that you enjoy and see how they are rooted in things that the country you belong to condoned or actively participated in the past.
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Actively Ask Belong Country Freedom Long Participate Rooted
All you need to understand is that the officer carries with him the power of the American state and the weight of an American legacy.
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Black Country Legacy Need Numbers Offer Power State Understand Weight Year

Barack Obama is the president of the United States of America.

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Barack Obama is the president of the United States of America.

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