--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a lot of L.A. is something like…" description: "\"I think a lot of L.A. is something like USC - this incredible white culture living in the midst of color, and no obvious reaction to it at all. I mean,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/anna-deavere-smith-4847_away_i-think-a-lot-of-l-a-is-something-like-u_1561737.png" --- # I think a lot of L.A. is something like USC - this… ![“I think a lot of L.A. is something like USC - this incredible white culture living in the midst of color, and no obvious reaction to it at all. I mean, they have guards at the gate at USC - guards at the gate of a major university! And the guards chase young black boys away - I've seen it, chasing…” quote by Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/anna-deavere-smith-4847_away_i-think-a-lot-of-l-a-is-something-like-u_1561737.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/anna-deavere-smith-4847_away_i-think-a-lot-of-l-a-is-something-like-u_1561737.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/anna-deavere-smith-4847_away_i-think-a-lot-of-l-a-is-something-like-u_1561737.png) > “I think a lot of L.A. is something like USC - this incredible white culture living in the midst of color, and no obvious reaction to it at all. I mean, they have guards at the gate at USC - guards at the gate of a major university! And the guards chase young black boys away - I've seen it, chasing 8-year-old boys.” [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She observes a predominantly white elite coexisting with a diverse community, noting racial segregation and policing at a university. **In simple terms:** White elite in a diverse setting faces racial tension. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic exclusion. Themes race education segregation power identity Mood critical reflective Type social commentary observational When to use this quote - college campuses - urban neighborhoods - policy debates Key Concepts institutional racism social stratification microaggressions Questions to Reflect On - What steps can universities take to reduce racial bias? - How does this perception affect community relations? A Different Perspective The description may overlook positive integration efforts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-boy/) [Black Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-boys-593356/) [Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy/) [Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chase/) [Chasing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chasing/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Gate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gate/) [Guards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guards/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Incredible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredible/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Usc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-usc-376960/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot/) [Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/major/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Midst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midst/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaction/) [Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [Usc Guards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usc-guards-5860398/) [Usc Incredible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usc-incredible-5860399/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-culture-1191040/) [York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [“And I know that there are black boys and black girls out there lost in a Bermuda triangle of the mind or stranded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/and-i-know-that-there-are-black-boys-and-black-girls-out-there-lost/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“When young Black boys learn that there are no limits to our possibilities on the basketball courts, we create the athletic genius of Michael…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/na-im-akbar/when-young-black-boys-learn-that-there-are-no-limits-to-our/) [Na'im Akbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/na-im-akbar/) > [We send young white boys to the Army. 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The land represents freedom - the frontier, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/the-american-idea-is-as-promising-imaginative-and-full-of-the/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I have never been in a violent movie or television show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-have-never-been-in-a-violent-movie-or-television-show/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Poverty makes it very difficult in an already competitive world for kids to get on a straight track where they can actually love learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/poverty-makes-it-very-difficult-in-an-already-competitive-world-for/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Your desire to communicate must be bigger than your relationship with the chaotic and unfair realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/your-desire-to-communicate-must-be-bigger-than-your-relationship-with/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Self-esteem does not come from surrounding yourself with people and things that seem to increase your value. Real self-esteem is an integration of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/self-esteem-does-not-come-from-surrounding-yourself-with-people-and/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [People realize that we're very good at sending people to war, but we're not good at taking care of them. And people are coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/people-realize-that-we-re-very-good-at-sending-people-to-war-but-we/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I love studying how people are. Not just what they're saying, but how they are, what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-love-studying-how-people-are-not-just-what-they-re-saying-but-how/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Many people are afraid to talk about race because it's so emotionally loaded. We don't have the vocabulary to talk about it. 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I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [You just say the word, and I'll make the rest of the world go away. 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