--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Donna and Grace and so many…" description: "\"“Donna and Grace and so many people—specifically white people—often have understood slavery, and those held in its grip, only in abstract terms. They d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg" --- # Donna and Grace and so many people—specifically white… ![“Donna and Grace and so many people—specifically white people—often have understood slavery, and those held in its grip, only in abstract terms. They do not see the faces. They cannot picture the hands. They do not hear the fear, or the laughter. They do not consider that these were children like…” quote by Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg) > ““Donna and Grace and so many people—specifically white people—often have understood slavery, and those held in its grip, only in abstract terms. They do not see the faces. They cannot picture the hands. They do not hear the fear, or the laughter. They do not consider that these were children like their own, or that these were people who had birthdays and weddings and funerals; who loved and celebrated one another just as they loved and celebrated their loved ones.”” [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often understand slavery only abstractly, failing to see the lived humanity of its victims. **In simple terms:** We abstract slavery, ignoring real people. Key Takeaway Humanize historical oppression. Themes empathy history humanity Mood reflective empathetic Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - museum curation - school curricula - public memorials - media storytelling Key Concepts social justice psychology education Questions to Reflect On - How can we integrate personal stories into history? - What impact does humanizing victims have on collective memory? A Different Perspective Abstract narratives can feel detached from present issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-americans/) [Blacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacks/) [Grace People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-people-1718560/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [People Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-understood-252582/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-held-5054606/) [Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves/) [Understood Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-slavery-1178827/) [Whites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whites/) ## Related quotes > [ “I asked \[my grandfather\] if there would ever be an America in which white Americans were not actively working to keep themselves positioned atop… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/i-asked-my-grandfather-if-there-would-ever-be-an-america-in-which/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Many, many people of the Revolutionary generation, the generation that fought in the Revolutionary War, understood that slavery was somehow in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/many-many-people-of-the-revolutionary-generation-the-generation-that/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [Few whites are ready to actively promote civil rights for blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/few-whites-are-ready-to-actively-promote-civil-rights-for-blacks/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [“I had never seen a white man filled with such fear. The remarkable truth, however, was that it was not the pistol, but my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percival-everett/i-had-never-seen-a-white-man-filled-with-such-fear-the-remarkable/) [Percival Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percival-everett/) > [“The attendant looked at Camilo, looked at Link, blandly, incuriously. Link thought, In New York all the black boys who go in for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/the-attendant-looked-at-camilo-looked-at-link-blandly-incuriously/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“There was something lacking in these ofay places of amusement or else there was something present that one didn’t find in the black-and-tan resorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-schuyler/there-was-something-lacking-in-these-ofay-places-of-amusement-or-else/) [George S. Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-schuyler/) > [“When the singing ended, I chatted with others in my pew, including a tall, aristocratic-looking man with pomaded gray hair. I told him about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/when-the-singing-ended-i-chatted-with-others-in-my-pew-including-a/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“Another group with a vital role to play in the present crisis is the white Northern liberals. The racial issue that we confront in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/another-group-with-a-vital-role-to-play-in-the-present-crisis-is-the/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“I swear that white folks need to just shut the hell up sometimes. Y'all make it hard for everybody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiese-laymon/i-swear-that-white-folks-need-to-just-shut-the-hell-up-sometimes-y/) [Kiese Laymon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiese-laymon/) > [“You may have heard the talk of diversity, sensitivity training, and body cameras. These are all fine and applicable, but they understate the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/you-may-have-heard-the-talk-of-diversity-sensitivity-training-and/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“Whitepeople believed that whatever the manners, under every dark skin was a jungle. Swift unnavigable waters, swinging screaming baboons, sleeping snakes, red gums ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/whitepeople-believed-that-whatever-the-manners-under-every-dark-skin/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Excessive praise arises from the same bigotry matrix as excessive criticism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/excessive-praise-arises-from-the-same-bigotry-matrix-as-excessive/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [“I had seen a photograph of Emmett Till's body just after it was pulled from the river. I had seen photographs of white folks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-had-seen-a-photograph-of-emmett-till-s-body-just-after-it-was/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Since neither black animosity nor the Left’s falsehood of “racial tensions” is based on the actual behavior of the vast majority of white Americans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/since-neither-black-animosity-nor-the-left-s-falsehood-of-racial/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“In the context of the Negro problem neither whites nor blacks, for excellent reasons of their own, have the faintest desire to look back;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-the-context-of-the-negro-problem-neither-whites-nor-blacks-for/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More by Clint Smith > [Until affirmative action is described and understood as one mechanism by which to make amends for historical wrongdoing against members of marginalized communities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/until-affirmative-action-is-described-and-understood-as-one-mechanism/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If our principles are only our principles when it is convenient for us, when they align with our visceral emotional responses, then they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-our-principles-are-only-our-principles-when-it-is-convenient-for/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [The U.S. prison system, over all, disproportionately affects black and brown people, but people of color are overrepresented to a greater degree in private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/the-u-s-prison-system-over-all-disproportionately-affects-black-and/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [America's economy cannot be disentangled from the free labor that built it, just as America's culture cannot be unbound from the black artists who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/america-s-economy-cannot-be-disentangled-from-the-free-labor-that/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [In sixth grade, my status as a Boy Scout was not something I went out of my way to share. In fact, I spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/in-sixth-grade-my-status-as-a-boy-scout-was-not-something-i-went-out/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [The history of racial violence in our country is both omnipresent and unspoken. It is a smog that surrounds us that few will admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/the-history-of-racial-violence-in-our-country-is-both-omnipresent-and/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-you-carry-a-gun-people-will-call-you-paranoid-that-s-ridiculous-if/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [When the power of private prisons is diminished, so, too, is their ability to engage in back-door political lobbying that has an impact on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/when-the-power-of-private-prisons-is-diminished-so-too-is-their/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Systemic racism always takes a toll, whether it be by bullet or by blood clot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/systemic-racism-always-takes-a-toll-whether-it-be-by-bullet-or-by/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [One does not read a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks with hopes that it will grant him a career in engineering; he does so because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/one-does-not-read-a-poem-by-gwendolyn-brooks-with-hopes-that-it-will/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Education is a human right - a recognition of dignity that each person should be afforded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/education-is-a-human-right-a-recognition-of-dignity-that-each-person/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Preparing oneself for the possibility of confronting racism triggers something that slowly chips away at physical and emotional well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/preparing-oneself-for-the-possibility-of-confronting-racism-triggers/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [In my home, guns were not something to be earned or celebrated. Water guns and Nerf guns were not allowed outside. B.B. guns were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/in-my-home-guns-were-not-something-to-be-earned-or-celebrated-water/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not loadin, you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-you-re-not-shootin-you-should-be-loadin-if-you-re-not-loadin-you/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If you only hear one side of the story, at some point, you have to question who the writer is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-you-only-hear-one-side-of-the-story-at-some-point-you-have-to/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) [Explore all 116 Clint Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) ## More African americans quotes > [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [I know I'm more forgiving than most African Americans when it comes to second chances for White people who not only commit a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-know-i-m-more-forgiving-than-most-african-americans-when-it-comes/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [“Alabama in 1927 alone, 27,701 men were arrested on misdemeanor charges and offered for sale by county sheriffs. In Blackmon’s estimation, “roughly half of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/alabama-in-1927-alone-27-701-men-were-arrested-on-misdemeanor-charges/) [Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“He (Zerubavel) draws attention to the social influences on perception (what people notice), attention and concern (what people care about), classification (how people categorize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/he-zerubavel-draws-attention-to-the-social-influences-on-perception/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [To those African-Americans suffering in our country, I say, what do you have to lose? Vote for Trump, I'm going to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/to-those-african-americans-suffering-in-our-country-i-say-what-do-you/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [African Americans are doing a lot already, but I think we have an opportunity right now to change politics in a way that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckmann/african-americans-are-doing-a-lot-already-but-i-think-we-have-an/) [David Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckmann/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [You take a look at the history of African Americans in the US. There's been about thirty years of relative freedom. There was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-take-a-look-at-the-history-of-african-americans-in-the-us-there-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Michael Schultz's 'Cooley High' is a classic. Oftentimes, we don't get to see films about coming of age, especially for young African Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salim-akil/michael-schultz-s-cooley-high-is-a-classic-oftentimes-we-don-t-get-to/) [Salim Akil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salim-akil/) > [As African-Americans, we don't start with a blank slate, while other people may. In our position, there's always some sort of stereotype that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-woods/as-african-americans-we-don-t-start-with-a-blank-slate-while-other/) [Xavier Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-woods/) [Browse all 593 African americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Donna and Grace and so many people—specifically white people—often have understood slavery, and those held in its grip, only in abstract terms. They do not see the faces. They cannot picture the hands. They do not hear the fear, or the laughter. They do not consider that these were children like their own, or that these were people who had birthdays and weddings and funerals; who loved and celebrated one another just as they loved and celebrated their loved ones.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clint Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-specifically-white-people-often/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "African americans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-specifically-white-people-often/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/clint-smith-4108_african-americans_donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-speci_2236746.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Donna and Grace and so many people—specifically white people—often have understood slavery, and those held…” — Clint Smith", "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": "Clint Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Donna and Grace and so many...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-specifically-white-people-often/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/donna-and-grace-and-so-many-people-specifically-white-people-often/#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 } } ] } ```