“Respectability politics is the dogged belief that if black people just shape up, dress right, and act right, racists would suddenly have a dramatic change of heart, and stop their racist ways. Respectability politics puts all of its faith in… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share
“These themes are explored through fantasy figures such as wizards, giants and elves. At the same time, amongst the teachers and pupils at Hogwarts, there are very few people of colour and no clear explanation of why that might be. So a story that has so much to say about racism on an allegorical level at the same time depicts… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share
“Respectability politics is the dogged belief that if black people just shape up, dress right, and act right, racists would suddenly have a dramatic change of heart, and stop their racist ways. Respectability politics puts all of its faith in racist gatekeepers (telling us that we must change to appeal to their inherent, good-natured humanity), and puts none of its… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share
“I had long since realised that if there was greatness in Britain, then it lay in its everyday citizens, and not in its institutions.” — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“To be an immigrant, good or bad, is about straddling two homes, whilst knowing you don't really belong to either.” — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“We'd taken up our positions on the benches between the school hall and a newly-installed outdoor basketball court. Being hip-hoppers, we were obliged to… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“Ravi, you big massive racist. Rap is the music of revolution. Rap is the reason we have rights.” — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“Tell me about Gang Starr,' said Nishant, in an effort to start a conversation I'd be interested in. 'One MC, one DJ...' 'Classic combo,'… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“I dodged him for a few months with excuses about not being able to, not having the time to, not being bothered to tape it. When I was out of sensible excuses, I played the race card and told Paul Fine straight: "Taping the album for you is selling out to the white man, letting him have our music. Nah,… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share
“I do think it’s interesting that this idea of being a model minority is tied up with essentially being quiet,’ she says. ‘Just sitting… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“Oriental’ has connotations of bamboo and flutes and red sunsets. It should only really be used to describe carpets, as the word has an… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“Everything around me was so starkly white that I began to believe that I would turn white sooner or later. I was quietly being… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
“While 'Rap Trax!' recorded, Neel found some scrap paper and we started writing our first lyrics. Bandying about subject matter and title, we got… — Nikesh Shukla Copy Share Image
