--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realized that most white Americans knew…" description: "\"I realized that most white Americans knew very little about our history and our struggle, and were having difficulty understanding the basis for our ag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/harry-belafonte-4893_agitation_i-realized-that-most-white-americans-kne_2290494.png" --- # I realized that most white Americans knew very little… ![“I realized that most white Americans knew very little about our history and our struggle, and were having difficulty understanding the basis for our agitation and our resistance and our complaints. I also discovered that while black Americans had a sense of the beauty and tragedy of the journey…” quote by Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/harry-belafonte-4893_agitation_i-realized-that-most-white-americans-kne_2290494.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/harry-belafonte-4893_agitation_i-realized-that-most-white-americans-kne_2290494.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/harry-belafonte-4893_agitation_i-realized-that-most-white-americans-kne_2290494.png) > “I realized that most white Americans knew very little about our history and our struggle, and were having difficulty understanding the basis for our agitation and our resistance and our complaints. I also discovered that while black Americans had a sense of the beauty and tragedy of the journey from the time of slavery until now, we were not rooted in the specifics. I thought one way to familiarize people with that history would be through the voices of the great folk artists.” [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observes a gap in historical awareness among white Americans and a lack of concrete knowledge among black Americans, proposing folk music as a bridge to shared understanding. **In simple terms:** People lack deep historical knowledge; music can teach it. Key Takeaway Use folk art to educate about history. Themes education race relations culture history music Mood reflective hopeful determined Type inspirational educational cultural When to use this quote - school curricula - community workshops - public radio programs - museum exhibits Key Concepts collective memory cultural transmission identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How can artistic storytelling reshape historical narratives? - What role should schools play versus community initiatives? A Different Perspective Music alone may not change entrenched biases; broader systemic education needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Black americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-americans/) [Complaints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaints/) [Folk art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-art/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [ Europe has what we \[Americans\] do not have yet, a sense of the mysterious and inexorable limits of life, a sense, in a word,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/europe-has-what-we-americans-do-not-have-yet-a-sense-of-the/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [Most Americans have a sense of what the blues is. But in Hong Kong, they have no sense of the blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-row/most-americans-have-a-sense-of-what-the-blues-is-but-in-hong-kong/) [Jess Row](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-row/) > [An oil crisis looms, prices are spiking - and our president is extolling algae. After Solyndra, Keystone and promises of seaweed in their gas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/an-oil-crisis-looms-prices-are-spiking-and-our-president-is-extolling/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [We Americans have a sense of ourselves as a moral people. We have led the way in the fight for human rights in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lewis/we-americans-have-a-sense-of-ourselves-as-a-moral-people-we-have-led/) [Anthony Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lewis/) > [There is, however, a somber point in the social outlook of Americans. Their sense of equality and human dignity is mainly limited to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-however-a-somber-point-in-the-social-outlook-of-americans/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It is often said that Americans have no sense of history. Ask a college student who Jimmy Carter was and they will likely reply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/it-is-often-said-that-americans-have-no-sense-of-history-ask-a/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [I love Inuit art, and most anything you would find in a folk art museum, as well as children's art or children's book illustrators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-farber/i-love-inuit-art-and-most-anything-you-would-find-in-a-folk-art/) [Neil Farber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-farber/) > [“This is the kind of touch they like: folk art, archaic, made by women, in their spare time, from things that have no further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/this-is-the-kind-of-touch-they-like-folk-art-archaic-made-by-women-in/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It isn't a club," I said calmly. "It's a walking stick." "Six feet long." "It's traditional Ozark folk art." "With dents and nicks all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/it-isn-t-a-club-i-said-calmly-it-s-a-walking-stick-six-feet-long-it-s/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [When I left the theater… I was thinking that I’d seen a classic of American dance. It confers a mythic dimension on ordinary aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-croce/when-i-left-the-theater-i-was-thinking-that-i-d-seen-a-classic-of/) [Arlene Croce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-croce/) > [The only thing I collect is art. I collect it because I like looking at it. A lot of it is really personal stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/the-only-thing-i-collect-is-art-i-collect-it-because-i-like-looking/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [Photography is the dominant and fascinating and only authentic folk art of the twentieth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rothenstein/photography-is-the-dominant-and-fascinating-and-only-authentic-folk/) John Rothenstein > [Everything that has ever been called folk art has always reflected domination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/everything-that-has-ever-been-called-folk-art-has-always-reflected/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [I'm actually really obsessed with folk art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bastian/i-m-actually-really-obsessed-with-folk-art/) [Michael Bastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bastian/) > [In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and popular art have much in common; they are easy to understand, they are romantic, patriotic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-seldes/in-spite-of-their-obvious-differences-folk-art-and-popular-art-have/) [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) ## More by Harry Belafonte > [As a matter of fact, compromise is what oppression feeds on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/as-a-matter-of-fact-compromise-is-what-oppression-feeds-on/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I think being born in America and growing up exclusively within the American boundaries of race and race oppression is a very different experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-think-being-born-in-america-and-growing-up-exclusively-within-the/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [Fascism is fascism. Terrorism is terrorism. Oppression is oppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/fascism-is-fascism-terrorism-is-terrorism-oppression-is-oppression/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [If you believe in justice, if you believe in democracy, if you believe in people's rights, if you believe in the harmony of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/if-you-believe-in-justice-if-you-believe-in-democracy-if-you-believe/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [Each time we arrive at a new level in extricating ourselves from economic, social, spiritual domination, we have a moment when we dance in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/each-time-we-arrive-at-a-new-level-in-extricating-ourselves-from/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I'm not quite sure precisely when social and political activism became a visible brand of my DNA, but it seems to me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-m-not-quite-sure-precisely-when-social-and-political-activism/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [In poor environment, I find great inspiration. Many of the men and women whom I admire as artists, the things they write, the songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/in-poor-environment-i-find-great-inspiration-many-of-the-men-and/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I didn't like The Wiz and it wasn't because black people were doing it. I didn't like The Wiz because it was a badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-didn-t-like-the-wiz-and-it-wasn-t-because-black-people-were-doing/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I'm always suspicious of celebrities that write about their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-m-always-suspicious-of-celebrities-that-write-about-their-lives/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I became an anti-fascist, and the more I saw what was happening to the peoples of Europe, the Jews, the more I saw the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-became-an-anti-fascist-and-the-more-i-saw-what-was-happening-to-the/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [Although slavery may have been abolished, the crippling poison of racism still persists, and the struggle still continues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/although-slavery-may-have-been-abolished-the-crippling-poison-of/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [Although we had a lot of villainy here in America, Adolf Hitler was certainly the most visible illustration of what would happen if fascism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/although-we-had-a-lot-of-villainy-here-in-america-adolf-hitler-was/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I knew Charlie Parker, and he gave us such a gift with his music. He put so much into so little space, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-knew-charlie-parker-and-he-gave-us-such-a-gift-with-his-music-he/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I not only think that they (U.S. leaders) are misguided, but I think they know exactly what they are doing and I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-not-only-think-that-they-u-s-leaders-are-misguided-but-i-think-they/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [Peace is necessary. For justice, it is necessary. For hope, it is necessary, for our future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/peace-is-necessary-for-justice-it-is-necessary-for-hope-it-is/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) [Explore all 105 Harry Belafonte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) ## More Agitation quotes > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-government-must-not-think-that-they-can-stop-this-agitation-it/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/) [Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/) > [“It is unworthy of great spirits to spread abroad the agitation they feel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-unworthy-of-great-spirits-to-spread-abroad-the-agitation-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-too-are-called-to-withdraw-at-certain-intervals-into-deeper/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Agitation is that part of our intellectual life where vitality results; there ideas are born, breed and bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edward-woodberry/agitation-is-that-part-of-our-intellectual-life-where-vitality/) [George Edward Woodberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edward-woodberry/) > [It is not proper to project our feelings onto things or to attribute our own sensations and passions to them. Can it also be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/it-is-not-proper-to-project-our-feelings-onto-things-or-to-attribute/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Agitation is all about poetry, governance is all about prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/agitation-is-all-about-poetry-governance-is-all-about-prose/) [Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/) > [Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/wherever-capitalism-appears-in-pursuit-of-its-mission-of-exploitation/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [Patience takes courage. It is not an ideal state of calm. In fact, when we practice patience we will see our agitation far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/patience-takes-courage-it-is-not-an-ideal-state-of-calm-in-fact-when/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day I observe more and more the folly of judging of others by ourselves; and I have so much trouble with myself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/every-day-i-observe-more-and-more-the-folly-of-judging-of-others-by/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) [Browse all 173 Agitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I realized that most white Americans knew very little about our history and our struggle, and were having difficulty understanding the basis for our agitation and our resistance and our complaints. 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