---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many people who are drawn to work about…"
description: "\"Many people who are drawn to work about racism and transphobia may be new to thinking deeply about colonialism and indigenous resistance in their North..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg"
---

#  Many people who are drawn to work about racism and…

![“Many people who are drawn to work about racism and transphobia may be new to thinking deeply about colonialism and indigenous resistance in their North America.” quote by Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg)

> “Many people who are drawn to work about racism and transphobia may be new to thinking deeply about colonialism and indigenous resistance in their North America.”

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote highlights that activists focusing on racism and transphobia often lack deep understanding of colonial history and Indigenous struggles in North America.

**In simple terms:** Activists may miss colonial and Indigenous contexts.

Key Takeaway

Broaden your study to include colonialism and Indigenous resistance.

Themes

activism intersectionality colonialism Indigenous rights trans rights

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- community organizing
- policy advocacy
- educational workshops
- solidarity building

Key Concepts

social justice historical context power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you integrate Indigenous perspectives into your work?
- What resources help bridge these knowledge gaps?

A Different Perspective

Understanding these histories can be emotionally taxing and may reveal personal blind spots.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Colonialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonialism/) [Indigenous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous/) [North america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-america/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-deeply/)

## Related quotes

> [I was only into 'Star Wars' because I was into the Ewoks. I didn't know this then, but they're such a beacon of Indigenous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-gladstone/i-was-only-into-star-wars-because-i-was-into-the-ewoks-i-didn-t-know/)

[Lily Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-gladstone/)

> [“The form of colonialism that the Indigenous peoples of North America have experienced was modern from the beginning: the expansion of European corporations, backed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-form-of-colonialism-that-the-indigenous-peoples-of-north-america/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [Even if, personally, I'm in a place of contentment or solidity, I feel like it's hard not to look out into American culture and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/even-if-personally-i-m-in-a-place-of-contentment-or-solidity-i-feel/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

> [“Alloy language and its analysis are a Trojan horse: an attempt to capture the attention of software developers, who are mired in the tar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jackson/alloy-language-and-its-analysis-are-a-trojan-horse-an-attempt-to/)

[Daniel Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jackson/)

> [When a girl is quite, million of things are running in her mind. When a girl is not arguing, she is thinking deeply. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-a-girl-is-quite-million-of-things-are-running-in-her-mind-when-a/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“Thinking more deeply into things usually left alone helps us to find bubbles of truth and clarity. When we realize we have power over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-severson/thinking-more-deeply-into-things-usually-left-alone-helps-us-to-find/)

[Kayla Severson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-severson/)

> [“Prayer is thinking deeply about something in the presence of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-cordeiro/prayer-is-thinking-deeply-about-something-in-the-presence-of-god/)

[Wayne Cordeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-cordeiro/)

> [“The theory of serendipitous creativity, in other words, seems well justified by the historical record. The transistor, we can argue with some confidence, probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-theory-of-serendipitous-creativity-in-other-words-seems-well/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [“Art is the one place we all turn to for solace. We turn to it constantly, whether you are listening to music, or pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/art-is-the-one-place-we-all-turn-to-for-solace-we-turn-to-it/)

[Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/)

> [The very quality of books to read and facts to master with which the twentieth-century man is confronted encourages him to think broadly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/the-very-quality-of-books-to-read-and-facts-to-master-with-which-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [Since the only way you are going to find solutions to painful problems is by thinking deeply about them - i.e., reflecting - if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/since-the-only-way-you-are-going-to-find-solutions-to-painful/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [When a GUY is quiet, Millions of things are running in his mind When a GUY is not arguing, He is thinking deeply When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/when-a-guy-is-quiet-millions-of-things-are-running-in-his-mind-when-a/)

[KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/)

> [I often say that I want to write like Tupac rapped. I could listen to his album, and within a few minutes, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/i-often-say-that-i-want-to-write-like-tupac-rapped-i-could-listen-to/)

[Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/)

> [If you begin thinking of how deeply you love somebody it may not be the same feeling that person is having towards you ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diwakar-dutt/if-you-begin-thinking-of-how-deeply-you-love-somebody-it-may-not-be/)

[Diwakar Dutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diwakar-dutt/)

> [It's interesting to look at all the aspects where everyday Americans, many of whom are not college educated, are thinking deeply now about our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/it-s-interesting-to-look-at-all-the-aspects-where-everyday-americans/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

## More by Dean Spade

> [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [One of the concepts I was having trouble illustrating was the concept that administrative systems create narrow categories of gender and force people into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/one-of-the-concepts-i-was-having-trouble-illustrating-was-the-concept/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [Let’s be gentle with ourselves and each other and fierce as we fight oppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/let-s-be-gentle-with-ourselves-and-each-other-and-fierce-as-we-fight/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [More conservative advocacy work often encourages portrayals of trans people as people who deserve rights. Deservingness, of course, corresponds to national racial, gender and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/more-conservative-advocacy-work-often-encourages-portrayals-of-trans/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [Instead of focusing on what the law says about trans people, which is really what the law is saying about itself as a protector…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/instead-of-focusing-on-what-the-law-says-about-trans-people-which-is/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [In addition to encouraging us to participate in narratives of "deservingness" that cast large parts of our constituencies as "undeserving," legal reform strategies encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/in-addition-to-encouraging-us-to-participate-in-narratives-of/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> ["Oppression" or "systems of oppression" operate as a shorthand terms in much writing and speaking so that we do not have to list all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/oppression-or-systems-of-oppression-operate-as-a-shorthand-terms-in/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [I am interested in recent scholarly work examining the emergence of women's studies and ethnic studies departments and the development of the neoliberal university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/i-am-interested-in-recent-scholarly-work-examining-the-emergence-of/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [Choosing an agenda that supports the apparatuses of racial violence always pays better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/choosing-an-agenda-that-supports-the-apparatuses-of-racial-violence/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [My work is heavily influenced by critiques that many critical intellectual traditions, especially Critical Race Theory, have made of reform projects focused on legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/my-work-is-heavily-influenced-by-critiques-that-many-critical/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [Legal reform organizations are usually trying to portray their constituents as "hard workers," as "not criminals," as citizens, as part of normative family arrangements,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/legal-reform-organizations-are-usually-trying-to-portray-their/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [One particular debate that I have seen play out again and again is whether trans people who have more traditional gender expressions or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/one-particular-debate-that-i-have-seen-play-out-again-and-again-is/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [There are sharply different, competing models of what trans advocacy looks like - those that seek to follow the path laid out by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/there-are-sharply-different-competing-models-of-what-trans-advocacy/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [Legal reform has significant dangers: changing only the window-dressing of harmful systems but leaving the violence of the systems in tact, failing to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/legal-reform-has-significant-dangers-changing-only-the-window/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [Law reforms in the US, ostensibly enacted to prohibit racism, have proven ineffective because they focus on bad intentions of individuals and fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/law-reforms-in-the-us-ostensibly-enacted-to-prohibit-racism-have/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

[Explore all 49 Dean Spade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Many people who are drawn to work about racism and transphobia may be new to thinking deeply about colonialism and indigenous resistance in their North America.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dean Spade"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about-racism-and-transphobia-may-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about-racism-and-transphobia-may-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/dean-spade-13866_america_many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about_1866561.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Many people who are drawn to work about racism and transphobia may be new to thinking deeply about…” — Dean Spade",
                "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": "Dean Spade",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Many people who are drawn to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about-racism-and-transphobia-may-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/many-people-who-are-drawn-to-work-about-racism-and-transphobia-may-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
