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I think President [Barack] Obama deeply underestimated the force of white supremacy in American life.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

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’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.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Actively Ask Belong Country Freedom Long Participate Rooted
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
What I’m talking about is a national reckoning that would lead to spiritual renewal.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Lead National Reckoning Renewal Spiritual Talk
Never forget that we were enslaved in this country longer than we have been free.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Been Country Enslave Free Longer never People Year
These were the days when I powerfully believed Breyers and Entenmann’s to be pioneers in the field of antidepressants.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Belive Day Field Pioneer Powerfully
An unsegregated America might see poverty, and all its effects, spread across the country with no particular bias toward skin color. Instead, the concentration of poverty has been paired with a concentration of melanin.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Color Concentrate Country Effect Instead Melanin Paired Poverty Spreadma Cross
[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
It was a week after Donald Trump had won. And initially he was still optimistic. He felt that things would be OK ultimately. And I have to tell you, this is the area where, you know, I see, you know, some degree of contradiction.
TA-NEHISI COATES

After Believe Country Optimistic People Person President Running Won
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.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Actually Always Embarrassment Folk Future Really Small Sound Symbolism
An America that looks away is ignoring not just the sins of the past but the sins of the present and the certain sins of the future.
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Certain Future Ignore Just Look Past Present Sin
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
The essence of American racism is disrespect.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Country Disrespect Essence Racism
It was made that way. And what you have is a system in which people are there to be exploited.
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Exploiter Made People Some
Is the Jewish race thriftier than the Arab race?
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Country Jewish People Peron Race Thriftier
I am not asking you as a white person to see yourself as an enslaver.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Ask Country Enslaver Past Person White Yourself

I think President [Barack] Obama deeply underestimated the force of white supremacy in American life.

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I think President [Barack] Obama deeply underestimated the force of white supremacy in American life.

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