--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The black population now consists of two…" description: "\"The black population now consists of two distinct classes-the middle class and the poor.\" — Constance Baker Motley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png" --- # The black population now consists of two distinct… ![“The black population now consists of two distinct classes-the middle class and the poor.” quote by Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png) > “The black population now consists of two distinct classes-the middle class and the poor.” [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observes a socioeconomic split within the Black community, highlighting class disparity. **In simple terms:** Two Black classes exist. Key Takeaway Address class inequality. Themes race class inequality Mood serious concerned Type political reflective When to use this quote - policy reform - education access - community development Key Concepts sociology civil rights Questions to Reflect On - How does class affect civil rights? - What bridges can close the gap? A Different Perspective Class lines can be fluid. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-population-2483074/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Class Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-poor-270374/) [Classes Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classes-middle-3462315/) [K Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/k-pop/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population/) [Population Consists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population-consists-3462314/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [“Rochester became a magnet for African Americans in the twentieth century, one of many northern industrial cities that blacks flocked to during their six-decade-long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wartzman/rochester-became-a-magnet-for-african-americans-in-the-twentieth/) [Rick Wartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wartzman/) > [Look at the black population of America, if I dare say so. That's what I was thinking of a moment ago. Look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/look-at-the-black-population-of-america-if-i-dare-say-so-that-s-what/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Of course, there isn't really a black population in Idaho or Utah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-benjamin/of-course-there-isn-t-really-a-black-population-in-idaho-or-utah/) [Richard Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-benjamin/) > [The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid. In Washington, D.C., our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-united-states-imprisons-a-larger-percentage-of-its-black/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The most formidable of all the ills that threaten the future of the Union arises from the presence of a black population upon its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-most-formidable-of-all-the-ills-that-threaten-the-future-of-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When there is no middle class, and the poor greatly exceed in number, troubles arise, and the state soon comes to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/when-there-is-no-middle-class-and-the-poor-greatly-exceed-in-number/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The Clinton administration cared a lot about the middle class and the poor. But it also cared a lot - too much, in retrospect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/the-clinton-administration-cared-a-lot-about-the-middle-class-and-the/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [The contented and economically comfortable have a very discriminating view of government. Nobody is ever indignant about bailing out failed banks and failed savings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-contented-and-economically-comfortable-have-a-very-discriminating/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“P3- every simple need to which an institutional answer is found permit the invention of a new class of poor and a new definition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/p3-every-simple-need-to-which-an-institutional-answer-is-found-permit/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [You know the funny thing, I don't get along with rich people. I get along with the middle class and the poor people better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-the-funny-thing-i-don-t-get-along-with-rich-people-i-get/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The most sublime courage I have ever witnessed has been among that class too poor to know they possessed it, and too humble for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-most-sublime-courage-i-have-ever-witnessed-has-been-among-that/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Inequality is bad for everyone, not just the middle class and the poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/inequality-is-bad-for-everyone-not-just-the-middle-class-and-the-poor/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Poverty is everyone's problem. It cuts across any line you can name: age, race, social, geographic or religious. Whether you are black or white;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-blanco/poverty-is-everyone-s-problem-it-cuts-across-any-line-you-can-name/) [Kathleen Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-blanco/) > [Working-class and poor urban Americans are not benefiting economically from our current food system. It relies too much on transportation, chemical fertilization, big use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/majora-carter/working-class-and-poor-urban-americans-are-not-benefiting/) [Majora Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/majora-carter/) ## More by Constance Baker Motley > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Living at the YMCA in Harlem dramatically broadened my view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/living-at-the-ymca-in-harlem-dramatically-broadened-my-view-of-the/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/sexism-like-racism-goes-with-us-into-the-next-century-i-see-class/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Had it not been for James Meredith, who was willing to risk his life, the University of Mississippi would still be all white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/had-it-not-been-for-james-meredith-who-was-willing-to-risk-his-life/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [New Orleans may well have been the most liberal Deep South city in 1954 becaThe legal difference between the sit-ins and the Freedom Riders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/new-orleans-may-well-have-been-the-most-liberal-deep-south-city-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I remember being infuriated from the top of my head to the tip of my toes the first time a screen was put around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/i-remember-being-infuriated-from-the-top-of-my-head-to-the-tip-of-my/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have already died in the fight for freedom. ... Any person who does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful-to-those-who-have-already/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Affirmitive action is extremely complex because it appears in many different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/affirmitive-action-is-extremely-complex-because-it-appears-in-many/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I was born and raised in the oldest settled part of the nation and in an environment in which racism was officially mooted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/i-was-born-and-raised-in-the-oldest-settled-part-of-the-nation-and-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Whites would rather not be involved in race matters, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/whites-would-rather-not-be-involved-in-race-matters-i-think/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [By 1962, King had become, by the media's reckoning, the new civil rights leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/by-1962-king-had-become-by-the-media-s-reckoning-the-new-civil-rights/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [How long must the American community afford special treatment to blacks?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/how-long-must-the-american-community-afford-special-treatment-to/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [The last state to admit a black student to the college level was South Carolina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-last-state-to-admit-a-black-student-to-the-college-level-was/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Something which we think is impossible now is not impossible in another decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/something-which-we-think-is-impossible-now-is-not-impossible-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [The Constitution, as originally drawn, made no reference to the fact that all Americans wre considered equal members of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-constitution-as-originally-drawn-made-no-reference-to-the-fact/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) [Explore all 46 Constance Baker Motley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The black population now consists of two distinct classes-the middle class and the poor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Constance Baker Motley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-black-population-now-consists-of-two-distinct-classes-the-middle/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-black-population-now-consists-of-two-distinct-classes-the-middle/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/constance-baker-motley-14556_black_the-black-population-now-consists-of-two_2802804.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The black population now consists of two distinct classes-the middle class and the poor.” — Constance Baker Motley", "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": "Constance Baker Motley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The black population now consists of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-black-population-now-consists-of-two-distinct-classes-the-middle/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-black-population-now-consists-of-two-distinct-classes-the-middle/#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 } } ] } ```