---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My town was all-white and shut down…"
description: "\"My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing because they didn't want black people to move into the town. And I thought that was wrong - duh.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg"
---

#  My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing…

![“My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing because they didn't want black people to move into the town. And I thought that was wrong - duh.” quote by Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg)

> “My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing because they didn't want black people to move into the town. And I thought that was wrong - duh.”

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The town excluded low‑income housing, revealing racial bias and moral failure.

**In simple terms:** Excluding Section 8 housing shows racism and injustice.

Key Takeaway

Challenge discriminatory housing policies.

Themes

racism housing justice

Mood

concerned determined

Type

political ethical

When to use this quote

- urban planning
- policy advocacy
- neighborhood meetings
- civil rights activism

Key Concepts

systemic inequality community exclusion

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do communities resist affordable housing?
- What steps can dismantle such bias?

A Different Perspective

Economic concerns are also cited.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [“Daily I walk around my small, picturesque town with a thought bubble over my head: Person Going Through A Divorce. When I look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/daily-i-walk-around-my-small-picturesque-town-with-a-thought-bubble/)

[Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/)

> [“This is what they mean by 'ghost town', she thought. It truly feels like a place frozen in time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robinson/this-is-what-they-mean-by-ghost-town-she-thought-it-truly-feels-like/)

[Jeremy Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robinson/)

> [“But I knew the way the people in the town thought about things. They always had some time left over from their life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/but-i-knew-the-way-the-people-in-the-town-thought-about-things-they/)

[John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/)

> [I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-would-be-a-lawyer/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [“This town of churches and dreams; this town I thought I would lose myself in, with its backward ways and winding roads leading to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-elmore/this-town-of-churches-and-dreams-this-town-i-thought-i-would-lose/)

[Kellie Elmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-elmore/)

> [I got 304's in 310 on Section 8, with multiple 187's... Sport a Marilyn Manson t-shirt when I die and go to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ras-kass/i-got-304-s-in-310-on-section-8-with-multiple-187-s-sport-a-marilyn/)

[Ras Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ras-kass/)

> [Congress shall have Power . . . to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Time to Authors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/congress-shall-have-power-to-promote-the-progress-of-science-and/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [Who in their right mind ever thought that the birth of a child to an illegal immigrant converted to citizenship? A lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/who-in-their-right-mind-ever-thought-that-the-birth-of-a-child-to-an/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution says Congress has the ability to coin money and regulate the currency and doesn't say anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/article-1-section-8-of-the-constitution-says-congress-has-the-ability/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, of course, lays out the delegated, enumerated, and therefore limited powers of Congress. Only through a deliberate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution-of-course-lays-out-the/)

[Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/)

> [But did the Founding Fathers ever intend for the federal government to involve itself in education, health care or retirement benefits? The answer, quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/but-did-the-founding-fathers-ever-intend-for-the-federal-government/)

[Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/)

> [The real reason to abolish departments like Energy and Education is not to promote efficiency, nor even to save taxpayers’ money. It is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/the-real-reason-to-abolish-departments-like-energy-and-education-is/)

[David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/)

> [“There were only two kinds of people in our town. “The stupid and the stuck,” my father had affectionately classified our neighbors. “The ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia-and-margaret-stohl/there-were-only-two-kinds-of-people-in-our-town-the-stupid-and-the-2/)

[Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia-and-margaret-stohl/)

> [What we're really trying to tell, even though it's very much a genre show, is a very human story. Even in this heightened situation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remi-aubuchon/what-we-re-really-trying-to-tell-even-though-it-s-very-much-a-genre/)

[Remi Aubuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remi-aubuchon/)

> [There were only two kinds of people in our town. ―The stupid and the stuck- ―The ones who are bound to stay or too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/there-were-only-two-kinds-of-people-in-our-town-the-stupid-and-the/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

## More by Cecily McMillan

> [I had a sense that my mother was struggling, when I was a kid, working twelve hour days, making $12,000 a year with two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-had-a-sense-that-my-mother-was-struggling-when-i-was-a-kid-working/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I would like to start a discussion about ending solitary confinement. I'd like to start a discussion about the removal of MO wings -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-would-like-to-start-a-discussion-about-ending-solitary-confinement/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I think in short order all of us need to act like we are citizens with not only rights, but also duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-think-in-short-order-all-of-us-need-to-act-like-we-are-citizens/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I cannot speak adequately, especially considering my race and my privilege, to the violence of the NYPD or the police in racial terms. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-cannot-speak-adequately-especially-considering-my-race-and-my/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I really don't feel good about leaving my house anymore. I don't feel really good about being anywhere in New York City alone anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-really-don-t-feel-good-about-leaving-my-house-anymore-i-don-t-feel/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I felt like there wasn't a political discourse. I felt like there was just one set of values, and any one set of values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-felt-like-there-wasn-t-a-political-discourse-i-felt-like-there-was/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [Jail is just another micro-society. It just happens that here, the problems are far more out in the open, we don't live with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/jail-is-just-another-micro-society-it-just-happens-that-here-the/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [If somebody is acting maladjusted - which means not happy to be at Rikers - the protocol, as I understand it and have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/if-somebody-is-acting-maladjusted-which-means-not-happy-to-be-at/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [You can't put people in jail for having mental disorders. You can't do that, and they should not be held there. They need rehabilitative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/you-can-t-put-people-in-jail-for-having-mental-disorders-you-can-t-do/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [We're just trying to figure out what being a good citizen is, what participating in a democracy is, what taking responsibility for being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/we-re-just-trying-to-figure-out-what-being-a-good-citizen-is-what/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I think any person who goes to Rikers is criminalized, even just for visiting. I go back every week to see my friends in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-think-any-person-who-goes-to-rikers-is-criminalized-even-just-for/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I think the big turning moment was when I joined the student political action club and started studying nonviolent civil disobedience in response to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-think-the-big-turning-moment-was-when-i-joined-the-student/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I think that by telling the truth and by attempting to be a good citizen, somehow I've ended up playing with fire. And that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-think-that-by-telling-the-truth-and-by-attempting-to-be-a-good/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

> [I can be all pissed off at the oppression of the state, but what does that really mean? Well, it's the tacit consent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-can-be-all-pissed-off-at-the-oppression-of-the-state-but-what-does/)

[Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

[Explore all 15 Cecily McMillan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/)

## More Black quotes

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [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/)

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

Browse all 11,655 Black quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing because they didn't want black people to move into the town. And I thought that was wrong - duh.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cecily McMillan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-section-8-housing-because-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-section-8-housing-because-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/cecily-mcmillan-33116_black_my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-sect_350359.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing because they didn't want black people to move into the…” — Cecily McMillan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Cecily McMillan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My town was all-white and shut...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-section-8-housing-because-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/my-town-was-all-white-and-shut-down-section-8-housing-because-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
