--- title: "9 Racial Hierarchy Quotes by 5 authors" description: "Browse 9 Racial Hierarchy quotes by 5 authors. Discover the best Racial Hierarchy sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/michelle-alexander-750_change_the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-syst_118692.jpg" --- > [The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/michelle-alexander-750_change_the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-syst_118692.jpg) > [For black people, everything we do has to be ratified and endorsed by a power structure that is white. And that reinforces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/for-black-people-everything-we-do-has-to-be-ratified-and-endorsed-by/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/kerry-james-marshall-5157_black-people_for-black-people-everything-we-do-has-to_915336.jpg) > [In order to really move toward what people really think of as some sort of Utopian post-racial society or somehow to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/in-order-to-really-move-toward-what-people-really-think-of-as-some/) [Rachel Dolezal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dolezal/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/rachel-dolezal-12300_hierarchy_in-order-to-really-move-toward-what-peop_2369417.jpg) > [The patterns that are normalized in the family - the whole idea that some people cook and some people eat, that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-patterns-that-are-normalized-in-the-family-the-whole-idea-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/gloria-steinem-277_believe_the-patterns-that-are-normalized-in-the_2495165.jpg) > [“History reveals that the seeds of the new system of control were planted well before the end of the Civil Rights Movement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-new-system-of-control-were/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2361353.jpg) > [A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-race-neutral-language-was-developed-for-appealing-to-old-racist/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/michelle-alexander-750_acceptable_a-new-race-neutral-language-was-develope_1891961.jpg) > [“History reveals that the seeds of the new system of control were planted well before the end of the Civil Rights Movement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-new-system-of-control-were-2/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2600309.png) > [“I don't want people to think I mind being mistaken for African American. I don't. There are, however, many African immigrants in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-owusu/i-don-t-want-people-to-think-i-mind-being-mistaken-for-african/) [Nadia Owusu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-owusu/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/508/nadia-owusu-125581_african_i-don-t-want-people-to-think-i-mind-bein_610318.jpg) > [“The language of caste may well seem foreign or unfamiliar to some. Public discussions about racial caste in America are relatively rare.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-foreign-or-unfamiliar-to-some/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/michelle-alexander-750_african-american_the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-fore_3082670.jpg) ## Top authors on Racial Hierarchy - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-michelle-alexander-67636.jpg) Michelle Alexander 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/michelle-alexander/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/#itemlist", "name": "Racial Hierarchy Quotes", "numberOfItems": 9, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are challenged.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/michelle-alexander-750_change_the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-syst_118692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/michelle-alexander-750_change_the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-syst_118692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/michelle-alexander-750_change_the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-syst_118692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For black people, everything we do has to be ratified and endorsed by a power structure that is white. And that reinforces a kind of racial hierarchy where whiteness is the privileged position to be in, and ethnicity is problematic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kerry James Marshall" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/for-black-people-everything-we-do-has-to-be-ratified-and-endorsed-by/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/kerry-james-marshall-5157_black-people_for-black-people-everything-we-do-has-to_915336.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/kerry-james-marshall-5157_black-people_for-black-people-everything-we-do-has-to_915336.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/kerry-james-marshall-5157_black-people_for-black-people-everything-we-do-has-to_915336.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For black people, everything we do has to be ratified and endorsed by a power structure that is white. And…” — Kerry James Marshall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In order to really move toward what people really think of as some sort of Utopian post-racial society or somehow to really challenge the racial hierarchy, we're going to have to allow some fluidity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Dolezal" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/in-order-to-really-move-toward-what-people-really-think-of-as-some/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/rachel-dolezal-12300_hierarchy_in-order-to-really-move-toward-what-peop_2369417.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/rachel-dolezal-12300_hierarchy_in-order-to-really-move-toward-what-peop_2369417.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/rachel-dolezal-12300_hierarchy_in-order-to-really-move-toward-what-peop_2369417.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In order to really move toward what people really think of as some sort of Utopian post-racial society or…” — Rachel Dolezal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The patterns that are normalized in the family - the whole idea that some people cook and some people eat, that some listen and others talk, and even that some people control others in very economic or even violent ways - that kind of hierarchy is what makes us vulnerable to believing in class hierarchy, to believing in racial hierarchy, and so on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-patterns-that-are-normalized-in-the-family-the-whole-idea-that/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/gloria-steinem-277_believe_the-patterns-that-are-normalized-in-the_2495165.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/gloria-steinem-277_believe_the-patterns-that-are-normalized-in-the_2495165.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/gloria-steinem-277_believe_the-patterns-that-are-normalized-in-the_2495165.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The patterns that are normalized in the family - the whole idea that some people cook and some people eat…” — Gloria Steinem", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“History reveals that the seeds of the new system of control were planted well before the end of the Civil Rights Movement. A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the vast majority of blacks back in their place. Proponents of racial hierarchy found they could install a new racial caste system without violating law or the new limits of acceptable political discourse, by demanding \"law and order\" rather than \"segregation forever.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-new-system-of-control-were/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2361353.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2361353.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2361353.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History reveals that the seeds of the new system of control were planted well before the end of the Civil…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the vast majority of backs back in their place. Proponents of racial hierarchy found they could install a new racial caste system without violating the law or the new limits of acceptable political discourse, by demanding 'law and order' rather than 'segregation forever'.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-race-neutral-language-was-developed-for-appealing-to-old-racist/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/michelle-alexander-750_acceptable_a-new-race-neutral-language-was-develope_1891961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/michelle-alexander-750_acceptable_a-new-race-neutral-language-was-develope_1891961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/michelle-alexander-750_acceptable_a-new-race-neutral-language-was-develope_1891961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“History reveals that the seeds of the new system of control were planted well before the end of the Civil Rights Movement. A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the vast majority of blacks back in their place. Proponents of racial hierarchy found they could install a new racial caste system without violating the law or the new limits of acceptable political discourse, by demanding “law and order” rather than “segregation forever.” The Birth of Mass Incarcerati”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-new-system-of-control-were-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2600309.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2600309.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/michelle-alexander-750_caste-system_history-reveals-that-the-seeds-of-the-ne_2600309.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History reveals that the seeds of the new system of control were planted well before the end of the Civil…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I don't want people to think I mind being mistaken for African American. I don't. There are, however, many African immigrants in America who, to climb the social ladder, resist being categorized, by white people, with African Americans. Some even go so far as to claim superiority. This is not surprising. In America, the racial hierarchy has white at the top and black on the bottom. *We're not that kind of black,* I have heard a member of my own family--an uncle-- argue when a white person leveled a racism insult against him. Given this, is is also not surprising that there exists some animosity between the African immigrant and African-American communities.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nadia Owusu" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-owusu/i-don-t-want-people-to-think-i-mind-being-mistaken-for-african/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/508/nadia-owusu-125581_african_i-don-t-want-people-to-think-i-mind-bein_610318.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/508/nadia-owusu-125581_african_i-don-t-want-people-to-think-i-mind-bein_610318.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/508/nadia-owusu-125581_african_i-don-t-want-people-to-think-i-mind-bein_610318.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't want people to think I mind being mistaken for African American. I don't. There are, however, many…” — Nadia Owusu", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The language of caste may well seem foreign or unfamiliar to some. Public discussions about racial caste in America are relatively rare. We avoid talking about caste in our society because we are ashamed of our racial history. We also avoid talking about race. We even avoid talking about class. Conversations about class are resisted in part because there is a tendency to imagine that one's class reflects upon one's character. What is key to America's understanding of class is the persistent belief - despite all evidence to the contrary - that anyone, with the proper discipline and drive, can move from a lower class to a higher class. We recognize that mobility may be difficult, but the key to our collective self-image is the assumption that mobility is always possible, so failure to move up reflects on one's character. By extension, the failure of a race or ethnic group to move up reflects very poorly on the group as a whole. What is completely missed in the rare public debates today about the plight of African Americans is that a huge percentage of them are not free to move up at all. It is not just that they lack opportunity, attend poor schools, or are plagued by poverty. They are barred by law from doing so. And the major institutions with which they come into contact are designed to prevent their mobility. To put the matter starkly: The current system of control permanently locks a huge percentage of the African American community out of the mainstream society and economy. The system operates through our criminal justice institutions, but it functions more like a caste system than a system of crime control. Viewed from this perspective, the so-called underclass is better understood as an undercaste - a lower caste of individuals who are permanently barred by law and custom from mainstream society. Although this new system of racialized social control purports to be colorblind, it creates and maintains racial hierarchy much as earlier systems of control did. Like Jim Crow (and slavery), mass incarceration operates as a tightly networked system of laws, policies, customs, and institutions that operate collectively to ensure the subordinate status of a group defined largely by race.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-foreign-or-unfamiliar-to-some/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/michelle-alexander-750_african-american_the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-fore_3082670.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/michelle-alexander-750_african-american_the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-fore_3082670.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/michelle-alexander-750_african-american_the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-fore_3082670.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The language of caste may well seem foreign or unfamiliar to some. Public discussions about racial caste in…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/", "name": "Racial Hierarchy Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/michelle-alexander-750_change_the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-syst_118692.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 9 Racial Hierarchy quotes by 5 authors. Discover the best Racial Hierarchy sayings and thoughts.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Racial Hierarchy Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-hierarchy/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```