--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Throughout amerika's history, people have…" description: "\"“Throughout amerika's history, people have been imprisoned because of their political beliefs and charged with criminal acts in order to justify that i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/assata-shakur-2554_black-and-white_throughout-amerika-s-history-people-have_1264734.png" --- # Throughout amerika's history, people have been imprisoned… ![“Throughout amerika's history, people have been imprisoned because of their political beliefs and charged with criminal acts in order to justify that imprisonment. Those who have dared to speak out against the injustices in this country, both Black and white, have paid dearly for their courage…” quote by Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/assata-shakur-2554_black-and-white_throughout-amerika-s-history-people-have_1264734.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/assata-shakur-2554_black-and-white_throughout-amerika-s-history-people-have_1264734.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/assata-shakur-2554_black-and-white_throughout-amerika-s-history-people-have_1264734.png) > ““Throughout amerika's history, people have been imprisoned because of their political beliefs and charged with criminal acts in order to justify that imprisonment. Those who have dared to speak out against the injustices in this country, both Black and white, have paid dearly for their courage, sometimes with their lives.”” [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political dissent has often been criminalized, leading to imprisonment of activists who challenge injustice, sometimes fatally. **In simple terms:** Speaking out can be deadly. Key Takeaway Defend truth despite risk. Themes justice political repression activism Mood defiant somber Type historical political When to use this quote - protests - journalism - legal defense - human rights advocacy Key Concepts civil rights state power martyrdom Questions to Reflect On - How can societies protect dissenters? - What mechanisms deter state oppression? A Different Perspective Risk of severe retaliation can silence voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amerika History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amerika-history-4032289/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Imprisoned Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imprisoned-political-4032288/) [Justify Imprisonment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify-imprisonment-2386696/) [People Imprisoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-imprisoned-3353608/) [Political beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-beliefs/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Speak Injustices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-injustices-2556934/) ## Related quotes > [I'm glad my name stands for the principle that everyone has the right to force the government to justify his imprisonment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakhdar-boumediene/i-m-glad-my-name-stands-for-the-principle-that-everyone-has-the-right/) [Lakhdar Boumediene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakhdar-boumediene/) > [It is so important for people to speak out if they see any injustices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-anne-pinnock/it-is-so-important-for-people-to-speak-out-if-they-see-any-injustices/) [Leigh-Anne Pinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-anne-pinnock/) > [The other reason that I am here today, again from the State Department and from the court record of the court of appeals, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/the-other-reason-that-i-am-here-today-again-from-the-state-department/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [We still have so many cultures in which people are imprisoned and whipped and killed for writing what they think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/we-still-have-so-many-cultures-in-which-people-are-imprisoned-and/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [“Guilt keeps people imprisoned in themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/guilt-keeps-people-imprisoned-in-themselves/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“Some "free" people are more imprisoned than those that are locked away. Trapped in narrow mindsets, they carry their mental prison with them day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/some-free-people-are-more-imprisoned-than-those-that-are-locked-away/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [People should not be imprisoned without having the ability to challenge the legality of that imprisonment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bingaman/people-should-not-be-imprisoned-without-having-the-ability-to/) [Jeff Bingaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bingaman/) > [“What kind of justice is this? Where the poor go to prison and the rich go free. Where witnesses are rented, bought, or bribed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/what-kind-of-justice-is-this-where-the-poor-go-to-prison-and-the-rich/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [If you think that a social media platform is a proper location to argue your political beliefs you should probably just shut the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-think-that-a-social-media-platform-is-a-proper-location-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Does poetry - or language or philosophy or music or architecture, even that of our temples - really need to dance to the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-rosa-menocal/does-poetry-or-language-or-philosophy-or-music-or-architecture-even/) [Maria Rosa Menocal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-rosa-menocal/) > [ \[Music\] is the one thing that connects the dots in all kinds of ways. No matter how you were brought up, no matter what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/music-is-the-one-thing-that-connects-the-dots-in-all-kinds-of-ways-no/) [Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/) > [“ridiculous if not positively touched, filthy and mean-spirited to be so poor, vain to have airs and graces when so poor, superstitious to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/ridiculous-if-not-positively-touched-filthy-and-mean-spirited-to-be/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [But artistically, my art I kept very separate from my political beliefs, deliberately and very, very rarely would I allow that kind of thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/but-artistically-my-art-i-kept-very-separate-from-my-political/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [Judging corporations for their political beliefs is like judging artists for their personal lives: Pointless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/judging-corporations-for-their-political-beliefs-is-like-judging/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The IRS, now known for abusing its power by targeting groups for their political beliefs, is a prime example of an overgrown federal agency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/the-irs-now-known-for-abusing-its-power-by-targeting-groups-for-their/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) ## More by Assata Shakur > [There is a down side to everything if you don't understand what the consequences of what you are saying in your music you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/there-is-a-down-side-to-everything-if-you-don-t-understand-what-the/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [My energy just couldn’t stop dancing. I was caught up in the music of struggle, and i wanted to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/my-energy-just-couldn-t-stop-dancing-i-was-caught-up-in-the-music-of/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I am a Black revolutionary woman, and because of this i have been charged with and accused of every alleged crime in which a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-am-a-black-revolutionary-woman-and-because-of-this-i-have-been/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Imperialism is the underlying motor of racism. The underlying reason that racism keeps on being promoted in all of its various forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/imperialism-is-the-underlying-motor-of-racism-the-underlying-reason/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [In the long run, the people are our only appeal. The only ones who can free us are ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/in-the-long-run-the-people-are-our-only-appeal-the-only-ones-who-can/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I think anybody who is honestly struggling against racism must struggle against imperialism and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-think-anybody-who-is-honestly-struggling-against-racism-must/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Every person that steps up and commits to social change helps solidify the black movement cause. It is not easy for those who fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/every-person-that-steps-up-and-commits-to-social-change-helps/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I think that people who want to change this planet have to seriously understand that as human beings we have to work to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-think-that-people-who-want-to-change-this-planet-have-to-seriously/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [If the U.S. succeeds in destroying the revolution, my status will be like that of most Cubans: I'll be up a creek without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/if-the-u-s-succeeds-in-destroying-the-revolution-my-status-will-be/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/no-one-is-going-to-give-you-the-education-you-need-to-overthrow-them/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [There's something nice about being able to go to sleep at night saying "You know, tomorrow I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/there-s-something-nice-about-being-able-to-go-to-sleep-at-night/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [And if I know anything at all, it's that a wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/and-if-i-know-anything-at-all-it-s-that-a-wall-is-just-a-wall-and/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Being in Cuba has allowed me to live in a society that is not at war with itself. There is a sense of community.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/being-in-cuba-has-allowed-me-to-live-in-a-society-that-is-not-at-war/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [“Don’t you know that slavery was outlawed?” “No,” the guard said, “you’re wrong. Slavery was outlawed with the exception of prisons. Slavery is legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/don-t-you-know-that-slavery-was-outlawed-no-the-guard-said-you-re/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/people-get-used-to-anything-the-less-you-think-about-your-oppression/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) [Explore all 161 Assata Shakur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) ## More Black and white quotes > [“In the picture, Ava Gardner's tousled black hair obscured her right eye, and her full, closed lips were pulled slightly to the right, resulting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gifford/in-the-picture-ava-gardner-s-tousled-black-hair-obscured-her-right/) [Barry Gifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gifford/) > [The world doesn't see a lot of gray. The world sees black and white, and then it understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/the-world-doesn-t-see-a-lot-of-gray-the-world-sees-black-and-white/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“The world isn't always black and white. sometimes, it's gray, and sometimes that gray explodes into colors you never knew existed before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/the-world-isn-t-always-black-and-white-sometimes-it-s-gray-and/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [“The Runaway Five's obvious influence is The Blues Brothers. During localization, their black and white suits were made more colorful to avoid legal action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-baumann/the-runaway-five-s-obvious-influence-is-the-blues-brothers-during/) [Ken Baumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-baumann/) > [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [“I think you want very much to make this black and white--to make us all out to be sinners or saints. But it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/i-think-you-want-very-much-to-make-this-black-and-white-to-make-us/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [I remember thinking all TV was black and white, but that was because we had a really old, broken TV. And then I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-rose/i-remember-thinking-all-tv-was-black-and-white-but-that-was-because/) [Ruby Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-rose/) > [Everything is not black-and-white . I'm really interested in the gray area - not justifying it, not glorifying it, not condoning it, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/everything-is-not-black-and-white-i-m-really-interested-in-the-gray/) [Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/) > [Anyone who will look at my life from the outside won't see the struggles inside. Sometimes, things are not always as we see or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-kaushik/anyone-who-will-look-at-my-life-from-the-outside-won-t-see-the/) [Chanda Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-kaushik/) > [Light and subject is inseparable. But when it is well integrated, it becomes the work of a fine masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-chong-hasang/light-and-subject-is-inseparable-but-when-it-is-well-integrated-it/) [Paul Chong Hasang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-chong-hasang/) > [“Annabelle, if there is one thing I’ve learned over my years watching and protecting humans, it’s that we can talk about black and white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-bartels/annabelle-if-there-is-one-thing-i-ve-learned-over-my-years-watching/) [A.P. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-bartels/) > [Which is probably the reason why I work exclusively in black and white... to highlight that contrast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/which-is-probably-the-reason-why-i-work-exclusively-in-black-and/) [Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/) > [There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-nothing-gray-about-whether-a-follower-of-christ-should-see/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) [Browse all 1,368 Black and white quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Throughout amerika's history, people have been imprisoned because of their political beliefs and charged with criminal acts in order to justify that imprisonment. 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