--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She felt the sly type of racism here…" description: "\"“She felt the sly type of racism here, longer waits for tables, white girls who expected her to walk on the slushy part of the sidewalk, a drunk boy ou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/brit-bennett-20073_black-girl_she-felt-the-sly-type-of-racism-here-lon_1163683.jpg" --- # She felt the sly type of racism here, longer waits for… ![“She felt the sly type of racism here, longer waits for tables, white girls who expected her to walk on the slushy part of the sidewalk, a drunk boy outside a salsa club yelling that she was pretty for a black girl. In a way, subtle racism was worse because it made you feel crazy. You were always…” quote by Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/brit-bennett-20073_black-girl_she-felt-the-sly-type-of-racism-here-lon_1163683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/brit-bennett-20073_black-girl_she-felt-the-sly-type-of-racism-here-lon_1163683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/brit-bennett-20073_black-girl_she-felt-the-sly-type-of-racism-here-lon_1163683.jpg) > ““She felt the sly type of racism here, longer waits for tables, white girls who expected her to walk on the slushy part of the sidewalk, a drunk boy outside a salsa club yelling that she was pretty for a black girl. In a way, subtle racism was worse because it made you feel crazy. You were always left wondering, was that actually racist? Had you just imagined it?”” [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes subtle, everyday racism that leaves the victim questioning reality, illustrating how microaggressions can be more damaging than overt prejudice. **In simple terms:** Subtle racism causes self‑doubt and confusion. Key Takeaway Trust your instincts and call out microaggressions. Themes racism identity psychology Mood reflective empathetic Type narrative observational When to use this quote - daily interactions - workplace - social settings Key Concepts microaggression racial bias self‑perception Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate subtle racism? - How can individuals respond when they feel confused by such behavior? A Different Perspective Subtle racism can be hard to prove and address. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-girl/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) ## Related quotes > [I think that racism has gotten more subtle, and it's not even racism anymore: it's placism. Like where you live or whether you went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-think-that-racism-has-gotten-more-subtle-and-it-s-not-even-racism/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I hear from people who contend that racism no longer exists in this country. I tell them I wish they were right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hear-from-people-who-contend-that-racism-no-longer-exists-in-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I hate to admit it," she said, "but for all we hear about the States, Canada's capacity for racism seems even worse." "Worse?" "The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-kogawa/i-hate-to-admit-it-she-said-but-for-all-we-hear-about-the-states/) [Joy Kogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-kogawa/) > [Racism is worse than ever. Violence is worse than ever. The economy's worse than ever. Unemployment's worse than ever. And it's Democrats that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/racism-is-worse-than-ever-violence-is-worse-than-ever-the-economy-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ “\[Martin Luther King\] said that little black boys and little black girls would be able to join hands with little white boys and little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/martin-luther-king-said-that-little-black-boys-and-little-black-girls/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) > [“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-this-nation-will-rise-up-and-live-out-the/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Why didn't she just ask 'Was it the white girl or the black girl?'" "Because this is America. You're supposed to pretend that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/why-didn-t-she-just-ask-was-it-the-white-girl-or-the-black-girl/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-this-nation-will-rise-up-and-live-out-the-2/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [Black boy, white boy, Clean black boy, white boy clothes, Black boy, white boy style, Makes the black girl, white girl notice me, Everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-porter/black-boy-white-boy-clean-black-boy-white-boy-clothes-black-boy-white/) [Travis Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-porter/) > [Deep down inside, I'm really a black girl stuck in a Mexican girl's body. But I'm also in touch with my inner white girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelah-johnson/deep-down-inside-i-m-really-a-black-girl-stuck-in-a-mexican-girl-s/) [Anjelah Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelah-johnson/) > [Society: Every girl is beautiful. Fat girls: Really? Skinny girls: Really? Curvy girls: Really? Scene girls: Really? Preppy girls: Really? Geeky Girls: Really? White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-morgan/society-every-girl-is-beautiful-fat-girls-really-skinny-girls-really-2/) [Harriet Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-morgan/) > [Society: Every girl is beautiful. Fat girls: Really? Skinny girls: Really? Curvy girls: Really? Scene girls: Really? Preppy girls: Really? White girls: Really? Black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-morgan/society-every-girl-is-beautiful-fat-girls-really-skinny-girls-really/) [Harriet Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-morgan/) > [My white girl fuck me good, interracial datin. My black girl suck my dick and she on probation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-b/my-white-girl-fuck-me-good-interracial-datin-my-black-girl-suck-my/) [Lil B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-b/) > [Can't Believe It (feat. Pitbull) Damn that white girl got some ass I can't believe it White girl got some ass I wanna see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-justice-crew-whitmore/can-t-believe-it-feat-pitbull-damn-that-white-girl-got-some-ass-i-can/) Corey Justice Crew Whitmore > [My white girl Veronica, black girl Monica, Got me celebrating Christma-Hanu-Kwanzaa-kah, Rocking dashikis with a yarmulke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/my-white-girl-veronica-black-girl-monica-got-me-celebrating-christma/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) ## More by Brit Bennett > [“She always felt nervous around strange men, even though she’d known the man who’d hurt her. If a man who knew you could hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/she-always-felt-nervous-around-strange-men-even-though-she-d-known/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“but somehow, his seeing her afraid was an intimacy she could not bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/but-somehow-his-seeing-her-afraid-was-an-intimacy-she-could-not-bear/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“If you couldn't know the person whose body was your first home, then who could you ever know?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/if-you-couldn-t-know-the-person-whose-body-was-your-first-home-then/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“Could you be nostalgic for a friendship that wasn't over yet or did the fact that you were nostalgic mean that it already was?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/could-you-be-nostalgic-for-a-friendship-that-wasn-t-over-yet-or-did/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“These were the moments when adulthood was formed, not a birthday but the realization that she was now the one pouring a handful of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/these-were-the-moments-when-adulthood-was-formed-not-a-birthday-but/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“Would they ever spend time like that together again? Could you be nostalgic for a friendship that wasn’t over yet or did the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/would-they-ever-spend-time-like-that-together-again-could-you-be/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“magic you wanted was a miracle, magic you didn’t want was a haunting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/magic-you-wanted-was-a-miracle-magic-you-didn-t-want-was-a-haunting/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“After all, before you could play a song, you had to learn each note of the scale. A newspaper article was made up of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/after-all-before-you-could-play-a-song-you-had-to-learn-each-note-of/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“Now they were slow and deliberate, the way hurt people loved, stretching carefully just to see how far their damaged muscles could go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/now-they-were-slow-and-deliberate-the-way-hurt-people-loved/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“that type of secret, although, we have to admit, it had felt different. Tasted different too. All good secrets have a taste before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/that-type-of-secret-although-we-have-to-admit-it-had-felt-different/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“That’s the problem with you brothas,” Bill said. “You got lazy. You know why? Because you know these young sistas will pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/that-s-the-problem-with-you-brothas-bill-said-you-got-lazy-you-know/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“Bones, like anything else, strong until they weren’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/bones-like-anything-else-strong-until-they-weren-t/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“Why can’t you just be yourself?” Stella asked once. “Maybe I don’t know who that is,” her daughter shot back. And Stella understood, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/why-can-t-you-just-be-yourself-stella-asked-once-maybe-i-don-t-know/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“She refused to let him bury his guilt in her. She would not be a burying place for any man again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/she-refused-to-let-him-bury-his-guilt-in-her-she-would-not-be-a/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [“pretty exposes you and pretty hides you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/pretty-exposes-you-and-pretty-hides-you/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) [Explore all 31 Brit Bennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) ## More Black girl quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [“But beneath them all, at the very bottom of the stack, is a worn and slightly tattered magazine called African Mamas Sucking Hog. 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Aye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oj-da-juiceman/plus-i-m-gettin-that-money-i-can-throw-some-stacks-girl-famous-in-the/) [OJ Da Juiceman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oj-da-juiceman/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [“This Book is Dedicated to Black Girls Everywhere. You are Powerful. You are Beautiful. You are Loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jos-older/this-book-is-dedicated-to-black-girls-everywhere-you-are-powerful-you/) [Daniel José Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jos-older/) > [When I was a teenager, I was the only black girl at a small, private Episcopal school, where my tuition was paid by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-the-only-black-girl-at-a-small-private/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I always want black girls to feel confident in who they are, and in their skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-runway/i-always-want-black-girls-to-feel-confident-in-who-they-are-and-in/) [Bree Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-runway/) > [I really do hope 'The Hate U Give' provides mirrors for readers who don't often get them in books. I've had so many young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/i-really-do-hope-the-hate-u-give-provides-mirrors-for-readers-who-don/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“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/) > [The great thing about Meg in 'A Wrinkle In Time' and Shuri in 'Black Panther' is that none of them are stereotypes of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-russell/the-great-thing-about-meg-in-a-wrinkle-in-time-and-shuri-in-black/) [Taylor Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-russell/) > [“Honor Roll Like a Black Girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/honor-roll-like-a-black-girl/) [Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/) > [“Melanin is an incomparable beauty. 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