--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many black youths are defying…" description: "\"Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good academic results, finding employment and contributing to their communities. But helping those..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/david-lammy-4617_black-youth_many-black-youths-are-defying-stereotype_3221829.png" --- # Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good… ![“Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good academic results, finding employment and contributing to their communities. But helping those who fall behind is not an exercise in political correctness, it is a precisely what a compassionate - and sensible - state should concern itself…” quote by David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/david-lammy-4617_black-youth_many-black-youths-are-defying-stereotype_3221829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/david-lammy-4617_black-youth_many-black-youths-are-defying-stereotype_3221829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/david-lammy-4617_black-youth_many-black-youths-are-defying-stereotype_3221829.png) > “Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good academic results, finding employment and contributing to their communities. But helping those who fall behind is not an exercise in political correctness, it is a precisely what a compassionate - and sensible - state should concern itself with.” [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlighting that supporting disadvantaged youth is a moral duty, not political tokenism. **In simple terms:** Helping at‑risk youth is about compassion, not politics. Key Takeaway Prioritize compassionate policies for youth. Themes education social justice compassion policy stereotypes Mood hopeful determined Type advocacy policy When to use this quote - school programs - job training - community mentorship - policy reform Key Concepts social equity community development youth empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How can policies be framed to avoid partisan labels? - What community actions best support at‑risk youth? A Different Perspective Political backlash may label support as partisan. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achieving Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieving-good-3980893/) [Black youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-youth/) [Black Youths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-youths-4555244/) [Defying Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defying-stereotypes-4967120/) [Finding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Political correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-correctness/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes/) [Stereotypes Achieving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes-achieving-6060199/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Youths Defying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youths-defying-6060200/) ## Related quotes > [It's important for youth, black youths particularly, to be able to fill in the blanks of themselves so they can know completely who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-important-for-youth-black-youths-particularly-to-be-able-to-fill/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [And that the arming of so many black youths, uh, and loading up our community with drugs, and then just having an open shooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/and-that-the-arming-of-so-many-black-youths-uh-and-loading-up-our/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [I don't think I'm defying stereotypes on purpose. If it so appears that way, so be it. For me, I've been brought up that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shruti-haasan/i-don-t-think-i-m-defying-stereotypes-on-purpose-if-it-so-appears/) [Shruti Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shruti-haasan/) > [Face each day with the expectation of achieving good, rather than the dread of falling short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-miller/face-each-day-with-the-expectation-of-achieving-good-rather-than-the/) [Shannon Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-miller/) > [Science reveals the possibility of achieving all good, and sets mortals at work to discover what God has already done; but distrust of one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/science-reveals-the-possibility-of-achieving-all-good-and-sets/) [Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/) > [“Achieving the good life is more a matter of being than of doing or giving. It calls for intense self-scrutiny, a relentless honesty about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/achieving-the-good-life-is-more-a-matter-of-being-than-of-doing-or/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Who originates the latest slang terms that are, seemingly overnight, known to every black youth across the country?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-jeffries/who-originates-the-latest-slang-terms-that-are-seemingly-overnight/) [Donald Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-jeffries/) > [“Like so much of cool hunting, Hilfiger's marketing journey feeds off the alienation at the heart of America's race relations: selling white youth on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/like-so-much-of-cool-hunting-hilfiger-s-marketing-journey-feeds-off/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [“That’s standard procedure for officer safety. We didn’t know that was Ms. Jefferson’s son. We saw a large, angry Black youth who was visibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/that-s-standard-procedure-for-officer-safety-we-didn-t-know-that-was/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I was all-state in four sports in New Jersey, but sometimes I couldn't get served at a restaurant two blocks from my high school.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-irvin/i-was-all-state-in-four-sports-in-new-jersey-but-sometimes-i-couldn-t/) [Monte Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monte-irvin/) > [If I use the media, even with tricks, to publicize a black youth being shot in the back in Teaneck, New Jersey... then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/if-i-use-the-media-even-with-tricks-to-publicize-a-black-youth-being/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [New York white youth were killing victims; that was a 'sociological' problem. But when black youth killed somebody, the power structure was looking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/new-york-white-youth-were-killing-victims-that-was-a-sociological/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Concurrently, the growing class power and public voice of conservative and liberal well-to-do black folks easily obscures the class cruelty these individuals enact both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/concurrently-the-growing-class-power-and-public-voice-of-conservative/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Body piercing and baggy clothes express identity among black youth, and not just beginning with hip-hop culture. Moreover, young black entrepreneurs like Sean 'P.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/body-piercing-and-baggy-clothes-express-identity-among-black-youth/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Leave it up to me while I be livin' proof, To kick the truth to the young black youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inspectah-deck/leave-it-up-to-me-while-i-be-livin-proof-to-kick-the-truth-to-the/) [Inspectah Deck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inspectah-deck/) ## More by David Lammy > [A good society is characterised not just by liberty but by mutual respect and responsibility. When this breaks down it takes a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/a-good-society-is-characterised-not-just-by-liberty-but-by-mutual/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [For me, a hoodie is like a pair of slippers or pyjamas - something comfortable and well-worn that you can wear unthinkingly. Unless, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/for-me-a-hoodie-is-like-a-pair-of-slippers-or-pyjamas-something/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [I grew up under Thatcher; the era of apartheid; the era of the poll tax; the era of riots. I remember Neil Kinnock was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/i-grew-up-under-thatcher-the-era-of-apartheid-the-era-of-the-poll-tax/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Edgy' music has always formed the cornerstone to any teenage rebellion. Most indulge in it precisely because adults like me don't like them doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/edgy-music-has-always-formed-the-cornerstone-to-any-teenage-rebellion/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [For even the most seasoned observers of American politics, Barack Obama is a phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/for-even-the-most-seasoned-observers-of-american-politics-barack/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Unemployed people should be treated as potential to be realised, not a problem to be solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/unemployed-people-should-be-treated-as-potential-to-be-realised-not-a/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [As I have consistently recommended, we desperately need to find more black judges, particularly females, who are chronically underrepresented in our courts across London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/as-i-have-consistently-recommended-we-desperately-need-to-find-more/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Our political class obsesses over social mobility from one generation to the next - whether or not people are doing better than their parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/our-political-class-obsesses-over-social-mobility-from-one-generation/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [We should not let those with a political agenda use London's growing population to support their anti-immigration rhetoric, and we should challenge those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/we-should-not-let-those-with-a-political-agenda-use-london-s-growing/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [People 'demand' the opportunity to gamble away money they do not have, just like people 'demand' money from loan sharks at extortionate interest rates.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/people-demand-the-opportunity-to-gamble-away-money-they-do-not-have/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Let me speak frankly: separate but equal is a fraud. It is the language that tried to push Rosa Parks to the back of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/let-me-speak-frankly-separate-but-equal-is-a-fraud-it-is-the-language/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Ultimately, we must either abandon our reliance on stop and search or abandon any hope for a criminal justice system grounded in equality, impartiality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/ultimately-we-must-either-abandon-our-reliance-on-stop-and-search-or/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [A workplace culture where fathers are encouraged to take paternity leave would result in stronger families, a more equal labour market and a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/a-workplace-culture-where-fathers-are-encouraged-to-take-paternity/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [The New Labour doctrine that skills training was the responsibility of employers was flawed. The idea that employers should take on a bigger role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/the-new-labour-doctrine-that-skills-training-was-the-responsibility/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Being in opposition takes some getting used to. As a former minister, you don't just lose your job and the enormous resources of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/being-in-opposition-takes-some-getting-used-to-as-a-former-minister/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) [Explore all 107 David Lammy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) ## More Black youth quotes > [Leave it up to me while I be livin' proof, To kick the truth to the young black youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inspectah-deck/leave-it-up-to-me-while-i-be-livin-proof-to-kick-the-truth-to-the/) [Inspectah Deck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inspectah-deck/) > [Body piercing and baggy clothes express identity among black youth, and not just beginning with hip-hop culture. Moreover, young black entrepreneurs like Sean 'P.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/body-piercing-and-baggy-clothes-express-identity-among-black-youth/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“Concurrently, the growing class power and public voice of conservative and liberal well-to-do black folks easily obscures the class cruelty these individuals enact both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/concurrently-the-growing-class-power-and-public-voice-of-conservative/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [New York white youth were killing victims; that was a 'sociological' problem. But when black youth killed somebody, the power structure was looking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/new-york-white-youth-were-killing-victims-that-was-a-sociological/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [If I use the media, even with tricks, to publicize a black youth being shot in the back in Teaneck, New Jersey... then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/if-i-use-the-media-even-with-tricks-to-publicize-a-black-youth-being/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I was all-state in four sports in New Jersey, but sometimes I couldn't get served at a restaurant two blocks from my high school.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-irvin/i-was-all-state-in-four-sports-in-new-jersey-but-sometimes-i-couldn-t/) [Monte Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monte-irvin/) > [And that the arming of so many black youths, uh, and loading up our community with drugs, and then just having an open shooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/and-that-the-arming-of-so-many-black-youths-uh-and-loading-up-our/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [“That’s standard procedure for officer safety. We didn’t know that was Ms. Jefferson’s son. We saw a large, angry Black youth who was visibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/that-s-standard-procedure-for-officer-safety-we-didn-t-know-that-was/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Like so much of cool hunting, Hilfiger's marketing journey feeds off the alienation at the heart of America's race relations: selling white youth on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/like-so-much-of-cool-hunting-hilfiger-s-marketing-journey-feeds-off/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [“Who originates the latest slang terms that are, seemingly overnight, known to every black youth across the country?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-jeffries/who-originates-the-latest-slang-terms-that-are-seemingly-overnight/) [Donald Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-jeffries/) > [We need to eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-need-to-eradicate-the-slander-that-says-a-black-youth-with-a-book/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“What good does it do a black youth to know that an employer must pay him $2 an hour if the fact that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/what-good-does-it-do-a-black-youth-to-know-that-an-employer-must-pay/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Black youth, in general, have no understanding of our past. Young black people who don't know who Martin Luther King Jr. was, don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-king/black-youth-in-general-have-no-understanding-of-our-past-young-black/) [Yolanda King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-king/) > [If I'm a cop, and every time I see a young black youth - whether I watch them on TV, movies, or just see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/if-i-m-a-cop-and-every-time-i-see-a-young-black-youth-whether-i-watch/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [“The term 'black' was given a rebirth by the black youth revolt. As reborn, it does not refer to the particular color of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chancellor-williams/the-term-black-was-given-a-rebirth-by-the-black-youth-revolt-as/) [Chancellor Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chancellor-williams/) [Browse all 34 Black youth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-youth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good academic results, finding employment and contributing to their communities. 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