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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.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Compound Country Debt Fivem Eyar Moral Policy Racist Reckon Thirty Whole
And I think, like, there’s a crucial difference between being, you know, Joe Schmo in the neighborhood and being the head, you know, of the government that, you know, in many ways is largely responsible for those conditions in the first place.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Always Between Condition Difference First Government Head Many Neighbourhood Place Responsible Schmo Way
Part of that is ordinary African-Americans, you come out of your house and you see the conditions in your neighborhood and you see, folks in your neighborhood doing certain things that, are irresponsible.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Condition Drinking Folk Home House Morning Neighbourhood Ordinary Country Part See
I think the president [Barack Obama] adopted some of that same language, but took it into the White House.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Adopt Government House Language President Same Some Thinking Took White
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
Barack Obama is the president of the United States of America.
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Country Land People Person President State United
You know, it felt like him reverting back to what was in his bones and that’s, you know, optimism and a deep belief in, you know, American institutions and the American people.
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Back Belief Bone Country Deep Institution Know Optimistic People Revert
The standard progressive approach of the moment is to mix color-conscious moral invective with color-blind public policy.
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Approach Blind Color Conscious Invective Moment Moral Policy Progressive Public Standard
[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
[Donald Trump] went on to, you know, otherize Muslims, otherize Latinos, otherize women, that he built out from that. And it can be true that a unique, you know, individual like Barack Obama can succeed in spite of that and still be the case that that force is quite, quite strong.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Built Country Know Muslim Out Person President Strong Succeed Unique
[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
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.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Geometry Impossible Life Master One Shape Strange Suddenly World
You don’t just get the good part. You get the bad part, too. You get all of it.
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All Bad Get Good Part Person Too
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
I would flip this the other way and say over 90 percent of African-Americans voted against Donald Trump.
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Against Ay Country Ninty Other Over Percent Person President Way
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

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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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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Popular Authors

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