--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So many white people don't want to talk…" description: "\"So many white people don't want to talk about race; it's uncomfortable. Many reason that slavery happened more than a century ago, and people alive tod..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/beth-macy-28707_alive_so-many-white-people-don-t-want-to-talk_271919.jpg" --- # So many white people don't want to talk about race; it's… ![“So many white people don't want to talk about race; it's uncomfortable. Many reason that slavery happened more than a century ago, and people alive today had nothing to do with it. But the particulars of these stories, from slavery to segregation to civil rights and mass incarceration, are at the…” quote by Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/beth-macy-28707_alive_so-many-white-people-don-t-want-to-talk_271919.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/beth-macy-28707_alive_so-many-white-people-don-t-want-to-talk_271919.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/beth-macy-28707_alive_so-many-white-people-don-t-want-to-talk_271919.jpg) > “So many white people don't want to talk about race; it's uncomfortable. Many reason that slavery happened more than a century ago, and people alive today had nothing to do with it. But the particulars of these stories, from slavery to segregation to civil rights and mass incarceration, are at the marrow of life in America today.” [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how many white Americans avoid discussing race because it feels uncomfortable, yet historical injustices remain central to contemporary American life. **In simple terms:** People avoid race talk, but history still shapes today. Key Takeaway Confront uncomfortable histories to understand present issues. Themes race history comfort America social justice Mood reflective serious Type social commentary educational When to use this quote - education - community dialogues - policy reform - media coverage Key Concepts systemic racism collective memory intergenerational trauma Questions to Reflect On - How does discomfort affect your willingness to learn about race? - What steps can you take to engage in these conversations? A Different Perspective Avoiding the topic can perpetuate ignorance and hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mass incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-incarceration/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [I understand that the worst people in England at a time were ran to America, for some reason. Then slavery came and calls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-understand-that-the-worst-people-in-england-at-a-time-were-ran-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [There is this pressure for us to only tell stories about slavery and the civil rights era, but there are many of us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/there-is-this-pressure-for-us-to-only-tell-stories-about-slavery-and/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [The inherited tradition is that we don't tell stories about slavery from the perspective of the slave. It's told through the president or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/the-inherited-tradition-is-that-we-don-t-tell-stories-about-slavery/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [“By the way he reacted, you would have thought I told him that slavery never happened. He laid into me with the same gusto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/by-the-way-he-reacted-you-would-have-thought-i-told-him-that-slavery/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [“Slavery happened. That flag stands for segregation. We have monuments to Civil War generals and slave owners, as well as preserved plantations. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trae-crowder/slavery-happened-that-flag-stands-for-segregation-we-have-monuments/) [Trae Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trae-crowder/) > [From slavery to segregation, we remember that America did not always live up to its ideals. In fact, we often fell far short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-frist/from-slavery-to-segregation-we-remember-that-america-did-not-always/) [Bill Frist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-frist/) > [To have one's race brutally treated for so many years, even after the end of slavery and segregation, people are going to rise up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/to-have-one-s-race-brutally-treated-for-so-many-years-even-after-the/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Marriage is an institution fits in perfect harmony with the laws of nature; whereas systems of slavery and segregation were designed to brutally oppress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kingston/marriage-is-an-institution-fits-in-perfect-harmony-with-the-laws-of/) [Jack Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kingston/) > [History is a story like any other, but black history is a story so devoid of logic that it frustrates the young reader. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/history-is-a-story-like-any-other-but-black-history-is-a-story-so/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) > [I grew up in North Carolina being told that the Bible approves slavery and segregation, that it was the will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-grew-up-in-north-carolina-being-told-that-the-bible-approves/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Our criminal justice system has swallowed up too many people I love. I am proud to join the ACLU in the fight to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/our-criminal-justice-system-has-swallowed-up-too-many-people-i-love-i/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [“Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were under Jim Crow…These figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/felon-disenfranchisement-laws-have-been-more-effective-in-eliminating/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“A key to understanding why Lockdown America rises today is to consider our present system of punishment, particularly U.S. mass incarceration and police repression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lewis-taylor/a-key-to-understanding-why-lockdown-america-rises-today-is-to/) [Mark Lewis Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lewis-taylor/) ## More by Beth Macy > [My favorite novel ever is Abraham Verghese's 'Cutting for Stone.' It takes you so many places. I stayed up to 4 in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/my-favorite-novel-ever-is-abraham-verghese-s-cutting-for-stone-it/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [You just keep shining a light and hoping people will start to pay attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/you-just-keep-shining-a-light-and-hoping-people-will-start-to-pay/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [My dad was a house painter. He was often unemployed by the time I came along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/my-dad-was-a-house-painter-he-was-often-unemployed-by-the-time-i-came/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [Photographers do more assignments than reporters do, so they know their communities better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/photographers-do-more-assignments-than-reporters-do-so-they-know/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [I'm a unicorn in the world of journalism; I've stayed in the same mid-sized city, and that staying has allowed me to write two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/i-m-a-unicorn-in-the-world-of-journalism-i-ve-stayed-in-the-same-mid/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [We need more leadership at every level: federal, state, and local.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/we-need-more-leadership-at-every-level-federal-state-and-local/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [If you have a choice between buying something in Vietnam or China or buying something made in Virginia, why not buy it from people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/if-you-have-a-choice-between-buying-something-in-vietnam-or-china-or/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [“Words linger and words matter, I learned, and it’s not possible to predict the fallout they can have on a subject’s life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-macy/words-linger-and-words-matter-i-learned-and-it-s-not-possible-to/) [Beth Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-macy/) > [My parents were really poor. We never bought books because you could go to the library. 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It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So many white people don't want to talk about race; it's uncomfortable. Many reason that slavery happened more than a century ago, and people alive today had nothing to do with it. 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