Absence Quote by Barack Obama
“Reinvigorating the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, making sure that in our Department of Education, where we see evidence of black boys being suspended at substantially higher rates than white boys for the same behavior, in the absence of that kind of rigorous enforcement of the nondiscrimination principle, then the long-standing biases that I believe have weakened, but are still clearly present in our society, assert themselves in ways that usually disadvantage African Americans.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Remarks on Civil Rights Enforcement, 2015
Ensuring strict enforcement of nondiscrimination in education reveals hidden biases that disproportionately affect Black boys.
In simple terms: Strong enforcement uncovers hidden racial bias in schools.
Key Takeaway
Demand rigorous enforcement of equality.
Themes
justice
education
racial bias
policy
enforcement
Mood
serious
determined
hopeful
Type
policy
advocacy
When to use this quote
- school discipline
- policy reform
- community advocacy
Key Concepts
systemic inequality
civil rights law
institutional bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How can schools address bias beyond enforcement?
- What role does community play in reducing disparities?
A Different Perspective
Enforcement alone cannot change deep‑rooted attitudes.
![“It is my view that if society was doing the right thing with respect to you, [and there were] programs targeted at helping people rise into the middle class and have a good income and be able to save and send their kids to school, and you've got a vigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination laws…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/73a/barack-obama-17_able_it-is-my-view-that-if-society-was-doing_2708983.jpg)
![“That is another theme in the book [Dreams from My Father]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we get the black to see through the eyes of the white? Or the citizen to see through the eyes of the immigrant? Or the straight to see through the eyes of the gay? That has…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00d/barack-obama-17_black_that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams_10185.jpg)
