black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

To prevent enabling oppression, we demand that black people be twice as good.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Barack Obama is the president of the United States of America.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Country Land People Person President State United
In particular in how [Barack Obama] has directed what you could describe as patronizing remarks to African-American communities.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Community Country Describe Direct Particular People Person
What it is is that Barack Obama was raised by a white mother and two white grandparents who, A, told him he was black and that there was nothing wrong with being black.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Black Country Grandparent Mother People Person President Raise Told Two White
What I’m talking about is a national reckoning that would lead to spiritual renewal.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Lead National Reckoning Renewal Spiritual Talk
I think, as a writer, I’m in my own head.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Head Own Thinking Writer
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.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Apart Black Deficit People Personal Responsibility Some
What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices-more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Bribe Dog Handout Injustice Mean Money Payoff Recompense Spiritual Talk
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
Humans also tend to find community to be pleasurable, and within the boundaries of community relationships, words.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Boundary Community Human Ironic Pleasurable Relationship Self Word
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
[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.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Ability Frankly Gave Optimism People Thing Trust White
That’s not an accident that Donald Trump didn’t begin with, say, trade or jobs or anything, that he actually began by otherizing the first African-American president of the United States.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Accident Actually Anything Begin Country First Job People Peron President Trade
It was made that way. And what you have is a system in which people are there to be exploited.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Exploiter Made People Some
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
Never forget that for 250 years black people were born into chains-whole generations followed by more generations who knew nothing but chains.
TA-NEHISI COATES

Black Chain Follow Forget Free Generation Knew Nothing Year
[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

To prevent enabling oppression, we demand that black people be twice as good.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

To prevent enabling oppression, we demand that black people be twice as good.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ta-Nehisi Coates Quotes