--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To operate with the aspiration of…" description: "\"To operate with the aspiration of color-blindness in a country whose central operating mechanism for centuries has been race belies the logic of race-n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/clint-smith-4108_black_to-operate-with-the-aspiration-of-color_3203247.jpg" --- # To operate with the aspiration of color-blindness in a… ![“To operate with the aspiration of color-blindness in a country whose central operating mechanism for centuries has been race belies the logic of race-neutral public policy. Public policy must account for the historic and intentional pillaging of resources experienced by black Americans.” quote by Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/clint-smith-4108_black_to-operate-with-the-aspiration-of-color_3203247.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/clint-smith-4108_black_to-operate-with-the-aspiration-of-color_3203247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/clint-smith-4108_black_to-operate-with-the-aspiration-of-color_3203247.jpg) > “To operate with the aspiration of color-blindness in a country whose central operating mechanism for centuries has been race belies the logic of race-neutral public policy. Public policy must account for the historic and intentional pillaging of resources experienced by black Americans.” [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. Advocates for recognizing that race‑neutral policies ignore historic exploitation of Black Americans, urging equitable approaches. **In simple terms:** Race‑neutral policies ignore past injustices. Key Takeaway Address historic inequities in policy. Themes race equity policy history justice Mood reflective critical determined Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - legislative reform - educational curricula - community reparations - corporate diversity initiatives Key Concepts structural racism resource redistribution historical context Questions to Reflect On - How can policies be truly neutral? - What reparations are needed? A Different Perspective Assuming colorblindness can erase systemic disadvantage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-americans/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Public policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-policy/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [Avoid any specific discussion of public policy at public meetings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintus-tullius-cicero/avoid-any-specific-discussion-of-public-policy-at-public-meetings/) Quintus Tullius Cicero > [There will never be color blindness in a culture of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/there-will-never-be-color-blindness-in-a-culture-of-fear/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [For her everything was red, orange, gold-red from the sun on the closed eyes, and it all was that color, all of it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/for-her-everything-was-red-orange-gold-red-from-the-sun-on-the-closed/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [My measure of success is to walk into a restaurant and hear a table debating drug policy. Once the public start the conversation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/my-measure-of-success-is-to-walk-into-a-restaurant-and-hear-a-table/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [There are many issues, as everyone knows, in the United States on which public opinion leans very much to the left of elite policy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/there-are-many-issues-as-everyone-knows-in-the-united-states-on-which/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [“I thought about how Juneteenth is a holiday that inspires so much celebration, born from circumstances imbued with so much tragedy. Enslavers in Texas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/i-thought-about-how-juneteenth-is-a-holiday-that-inspires-so-much/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [I'm an African woman, I suppose these thoughts torture me more than they do black American people, because it's like watching my own children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-m-an-african-woman-i-suppose-these-thoughts-torture-me-more-than/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [“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/) > [“Physicians, patients, and ethicists must also understand that acknowledging abuse and encouraging African Americans to participate in research are compatible goals. History and today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-a-washington/physicians-patients-and-ethicists-must-also-understand-that/) Harriet A. Washington > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [And if you want to make many of our black leaders angry, just tell them that racism is not the number problem that black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/and-if-you-want-to-make-many-of-our-black-leaders-angry-just-tell/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [As America prepared for war in 1941, discrimination largely shut black Americans out of job opportunities in the growing defense industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/as-america-prepared-for-war-in-1941-discrimination-largely-shut-black/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The welfare state has done to Black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done. . .break up the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/the-welfare-state-has-done-to-black-americans-what-slavery-and-jim/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. And when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-was-adopted-my-black-americans-i-feel-that-i-m-a-hybrid-when-i-m/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) ## 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 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": "To operate with the aspiration of color-blindness in a country whose central operating mechanism for centuries has been race belies the logic of race-neutral public policy. 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