--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in Nashville in a white suburb…" description: "\"I grew up in Nashville in a white suburb. We lived next to a Klan member. We didn't see hoods, but my dad knew that guy was a Grand Dragon.\" — Dee Rees" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/dee-rees-4528_dad_i-grew-up-in-nashville-in-a-white-suburb_798007.png" --- # I grew up in Nashville in a white suburb. We lived next to… ![“I grew up in Nashville in a white suburb. We lived next to a Klan member. We didn't see hoods, but my dad knew that guy was a Grand Dragon.” quote by Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/dee-rees-4528_dad_i-grew-up-in-nashville-in-a-white-suburb_798007.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/dee-rees-4528_dad_i-grew-up-in-nashville-in-a-white-suburb_798007.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/dee-rees-4528_dad_i-grew-up-in-nashville-in-a-white-suburb_798007.png) > “I grew up in Nashville in a white suburb. We lived next to a Klan member. We didn't see hoods, but my dad knew that guy was a Grand Dragon.” [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Growing up near hate forces awareness of hidden racism and its impact on community dynamics. **In simple terms:** Living near hate teaches hidden racism. Key Takeaway Recognize subtle racism around you. Themes racism family community Mood reflective cautious Type personal social When to use this quote - neighborhood life - personal narrative - social justice Key Concepts sociology history Questions to Reflect On - How does proximity to hate shape your worldview? - What can you do to confront hidden bigotry? A Different Perspective Addressing racism can be dangerous and may strain relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) ## Related quotes > [I remember one summer I played, like, with the granddaughter of this known Klan member. Like, all summer we caught cicadas. And we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-remember-one-summer-i-played-like-with-the-granddaughter-of-this/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [A Klan member is not stamped from a standard cookie cutter. They come from all walks of life and various education levels and environmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/a-klan-member-is-not-stamped-from-a-standard-cookie-cutter-they-come/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I've never concerned myself with what anyone thought about my activity, be they people within my profession or people outside of it, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/i-ve-never-concerned-myself-with-what-anyone-thought-about-my/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) > [I definitely felt the desire to, like - I definitely knew there was an elsewhere. I definitely knew that, like, if I were going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-definitely-felt-the-desire-to-like-i-definitely-knew-there-was-an/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I think Charlottesville was shocking for some, but it wasn't for me or for my family, I mean, because I grew up in 1980s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-think-charlottesville-was-shocking-for-some-but-it-wasn-t-for-me-or/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [My first place in Nashville was like 'Animal House.' The whole band lived under one roof, and most nights the jam sessions ended close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-worsham/my-first-place-in-nashville-was-like-animal-house-the-whole-band/) [Charlie Worsham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-worsham/) > [Some people have compared the Klan images to ecclesiastical figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-serrano/some-people-have-compared-the-klan-images-to-ecclesiastical-figures/) [Andres Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-serrano/) > [Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/be-sure-you-avoid-the-ku-klux-klan-don-t-get-that-albatross-around/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [That was one thing that we learned, that the Klan was making an active recruitment pitch to the armed forces - not just in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/that-was-one-thing-that-we-learned-that-the-klan-was-making-an-active/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) > [The white men were roused by a mere instinct of self-preservation—until at last there had sprung into existence a great Ku Klux Klan, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-white-men-were-roused-by-a-mere-instinct-of-self-preservation/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Do people in the Ku Klux Klan who die and come back as ghosts have to wear two sheets when attending the rally?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/do-people-in-the-ku-klux-klan-who-die-and-come-back-as-ghosts-have-to/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [“The enemy was not the Klan but the inside-outside lock that racism and classism had on the minds of the people: It operated from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junius-williams/the-enemy-was-not-the-klan-but-the-inside-outside-lock-that-racism/) [Junius Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junius-williams/) > [I asked myself, 'How are you going to change all these people, they have different values, different customs, different language, different interpretations?' So that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/i-asked-myself-how-are-you-going-to-change-all-these-people-they-have/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [When someone is anonymous, it opens the door to all kinds of antisocial behavior, as seen by the Ku Klux Klan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/when-someone-is-anonymous-it-opens-the-door-to-all-kinds-of/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [As a black man, I actually had naturally sort of comedic curiosity about the Klan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-kamau-bell/as-a-black-man-i-actually-had-naturally-sort-of-comedic-curiosity/) [W. Kamau Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-kamau-bell/) ## More by Dee Rees > [I want people to get from 'Pariah' that it's okay to be you and not to check a box as a parent or child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-want-people-to-get-from-pariah-that-it-s-okay-to-be-you-and-not-to/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I thought I'd get an MBA, and then I could be anything. And I'd write on the side. That was the idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-thought-i-d-get-an-mba-and-then-i-could-be-anything-and-i-d-write/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I thought that marketing was a way to be creative in business but quickly learned all creative stuff happens at the ad agency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-thought-that-marketing-was-a-way-to-be-creative-in-business-but/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [When I first started going out to lesbian clubs, I felt a very binary recreation of hetero culture. There are butches and femmes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-started-going-out-to-lesbian-clubs-i-felt-a-very-binary/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I was always going to direct. I wasn't going to hand my characters over to anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-was-always-going-to-direct-i-wasn-t-going-to-hand-my-characters/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [My ultimate dream was just to be an auteur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/my-ultimate-dream-was-just-to-be-an-auteur/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker, Audrey Lord - it was these authors who wrote about their experiences. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-me-books-were-my-source-of-affirmation-alice-walker-audrey-lord/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [When I first came out, holidays were hard. I reached a point where I didn't go home anymore. I constructed my own, kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-came-out-holidays-were-hard-i-reached-a-point-where-i/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [You can't be limited by your own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/you-can-t-be-limited-by-your-own-experience/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [We shouldn't be discriminating against each other. The whole 'light skin versus dark skin' is an idea we need to break down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/we-shouldn-t-be-discriminating-against-each-other-the-whole-light/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Going into a room and saying, 'I'm a black lesbian' - it's a strike against you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/going-into-a-room-and-saying-i-m-a-black-lesbian-it-s-a-strike/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Each moment is defined by a multitude of histories, the past constantly converging upon us, perpetually decaying and reforming itself on the steady pulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/each-moment-is-defined-by-a-multitude-of-histories-the-past/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I'd go to lesbian parties. I felt like I wasn't hard enough to be butch, but I wasn't wearing heels and a skirt -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-d-go-to-lesbian-parties-i-felt-like-i-wasn-t-hard-enough-to-be/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Before Charlottesville, it might have been easy to dismiss the plot of 'Mudbound' as no longer relevant. Now, I feel like audiences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/before-charlottesville-it-might-have-been-easy-to-dismiss-the-plot-of/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [For me, like, obviously, I want to see myself onscreen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-me-like-obviously-i-want-to-see-myself-onscreen/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) [Explore all 109 Dee Rees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) ## More Dad quotes > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [Here I am, 11 years old, and these grown men have to give it everything they have to beat me. In one part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/here-i-am-11-years-old-and-these-grown-men-have-to-give-it-everything/) [Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/) > [I always remember what my dad told me when I decided to turn into an actor. He was emphatic that whatever I do, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthi/i-always-remember-what-my-dad-told-me-when-i-decided-to-turn-into-an/) [Karthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthi/) > [My mom and dad had the relationship that I want, and they were teammates. They were always equal 50/50.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/my-mom-and-dad-had-the-relationship-that-i-want-and-they-were/) [Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [My father was the role model I looked up. My dad was an entertainer, too. I patterned my life after him. He wanted me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/my-father-was-the-role-model-i-looked-up-my-dad-was-an-entertainer/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) > [I talk to my dad all the time, he's more like my buddy than my father, and he's not happy that I use him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-spade/i-talk-to-my-dad-all-the-time-he-s-more-like-my-buddy-than-my-father/) [David Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-spade/) > [This week I realized my dad will make you cry in the store if you make him mad. Also when your crossing the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-week-i-realized-my-dad-will-make-you-cry-in-the-store-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was just putting way too much pressure on myself. I was just trying to get that validation from my dad. It got so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-was-just-putting-way-too-much-pressure-on-myself-i-was-just-trying/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) [Browse all 9,737 Dad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up in Nashville in a white suburb. We lived next to a Klan member. 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