Giving opportunities to other people, it’s only right that you might want to, you know, pay that back.
TA-NEHISI COATESAll you need to understand is that the officer carries with him the power of the American state and the weight of an American legacy.
More Ta-Nehisi Coates Quotes
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It was made that way. And what you have is a system in which people are there to be exploited.
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What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all in any moment. And it is right that you see it through–that you are amazed, then curious, then belligerent, then heartbroken, then numb. You have the right to all of it.
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More specifically, Barack Obama is the president of a congenitally racist country, erected upon the plunder of life, liberty, labor, and land. This plunder has not been exclusive to black people.
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To prevent verifying stereotypes, we pledge to never eat a slice a watermelon in front of white people.
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You don’t just get the good part. You get the bad part, too. You get all of it.
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The essence of American racism is disrespect.
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What sets black people apart is not some deficit in personal responsibility. It’s the weight on our shoulders. That is what’s actually different. We have the weight and burden of history.
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[Winning the White House was an achievement], but as an African-American, [Barack Obama], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself.
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The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from hosts and myths.
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If George Washington crossing the Delaware matters, so must his ruthless pursuit of the runagate Oney Judge.
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With segregation, with the isolation of the injured and the robbed, comes the concentration of disadvantage.
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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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I would flip this the other way and say over 90 percent of African-Americans voted against Donald Trump.
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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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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