--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the day Martin Luther King was…" description: "\"Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or below t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg" --- # Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black… ![“Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or below the poverty line is almost the same.” quote by Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg) > “Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or below the poverty line is almost the same.” [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic progress for black middle class hasn't reduced child poverty, showing systemic inequality persists. **In simple terms:** Middle class growth hasn't lowered black child poverty. Key Takeaway Address structural barriers to economic equity. Themes economics race inequality policy poverty Mood concerned determined Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - education reform - community development - legislation - social services - research studies Key Concepts sociology public policy history social justice Questions to Reflect On - What policies could break the poverty cycle? - How can middle-class growth benefit all community members? A Different Perspective The data may be outdated or lacking nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-children/) [Black Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-middle-711192/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [Living Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-poverty-491810/) [Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luther/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Middle Classes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-classes/) [Percentages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percentages/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-line-233494/) ## Related quotes > [I've still got family members living below the poverty line in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-still-got-family-members-living-below-the-poverty-line-in-new/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [The most ironic outcome of the black Civil Rights movement has been the creation of a new black middle class which is increasingly separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-most-ironic-outcome-of-the-black-civil-rights-movement-has-been/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [It would take little more than $50 billion to raise every poor person above the official poverty line, yet the percentage of the population…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-higgs/it-would-take-little-more-than-50-billion-to-raise-every-poor-person/) [Robert Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-higgs/) > [In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-1957-when-i-was-in-second-grade-black-children-integrated-central/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [It's not white versus black any more, it's haves versus have-nots. Unless the black middle-classes unite to promote the interests of the black underclass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/it-s-not-white-versus-black-any-more-it-s-haves-versus-have-nots/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [There's a very big gulf between the black civil rights leadership in America and the black middle class in America. The black middle class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-du-pont/there-s-a-very-big-gulf-between-the-black-civil-rights-leadership-in/) [Pete du Pont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-du-pont/) > [When I first started working on 'The Wood,' these people couldn't grasp the concept that, one, there is a black middle class, and, two,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-famuyiwa/when-i-first-started-working-on-the-wood-these-people-couldn-t-grasp/) [Rick Famuyiwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-famuyiwa/) > [It was jarring to be berated for 'acting white' when I was placed in a predominantly black middle school in Southern California. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/it-was-jarring-to-be-berated-for-acting-white-when-i-was-placed-in-a/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [In a sense the quest for the emancipation of black people in the U.S. has always been a quest for economic liberation which means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/in-a-sense-the-quest-for-the-emancipation-of-black-people-in-the-u-s/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [Cities with a black middle class provide the narrow minded an opportunity to realize that cultural differences are largely economic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/cities-with-a-black-middle-class-provide-the-narrow-minded-an/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [There is a forgotten black middle class in America - a group which is huge but underrepresented in the media and in art. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/there-is-a-forgotten-black-middle-class-in-america-a-group-which-is/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [There is no such thing as a black middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-black-middle-class/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [I think it is important to acknowledge the extent to which the black middle class tends to rely on a kind of imagined struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/i-think-it-is-important-to-acknowledge-the-extent-to-which-the-black/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [“The black middle class displays a torn ambivalence toward the situation of the black poor. They sympathetically recognize the harms of racism and targeted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pattillo/the-black-middle-class-displays-a-torn-ambivalence-toward-the/) [Mary Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pattillo/) > [We need to be abundantly clear on this - people living in poverty are the victims, not the perpetrators of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/we-need-to-be-abundantly-clear-on-this-people-living-in-poverty-are/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) ## More by Henry Louis Gates > [In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... And here, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-ethiopia-the-black-people-became-christians-1700-years-ago/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I don't think the riots derailed the civil rights movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-don-t-think-the-riots-derailed-the-civil-rights-movement/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/politicians-will-not-put-forth-programs-aimed-at-the-problems-of-poor/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I'm a tech geek. Whenever I read about something new, I think to myself, How can I take this and make it black?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-m-a-tech-geek-whenever-i-read-about-something-new-i-think-to-myself/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-think-that-the-implication-of-king-s-assassination-has-not-been/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring the story of our ancestors to the broadest possible audience. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-want-to-be-remembered-as-someone-who-tried-to-bring-the-story-of/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-1957-when-i-was-in-second-grade-black-children-integrated-central/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Diversity doesn't mean black and white only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/diversity-doesn-t-mean-black-and-white-only/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified-with-what-it-is-to-be/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [My grandfather was coloured, my father was Negro, and I am Black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/my-grandfather-was-coloured-my-father-was-negro-and-i-am-black/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/wherever-you-go-in-the-history-of-america-there-have-been-black/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the individual author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-act-of-writing-for-the-slave-constituted-the-act-of-creating-a/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [You can say I had a severe case of 'Roots' envy. I wanted to be like Alex Haley, and I wanted to be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/you-can-say-i-had-a-severe-case-of-roots-envy-i-wanted-to-be-like/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [In America one drop of black ancestry makes you black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-america-one-drop-of-black-ancestry-makes-you-black/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [You have a diasporic black world, and the only way to put it back together again is symbolic. It's like Humpty Dumpty. Whoever could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/you-have-a-diasporic-black-world-and-the-only-way-to-put-it-back/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) [Explore all 169 Henry Louis Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) ## 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": "Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or below the poverty line is almost the same.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Louis Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-killed-the-black-middle-classes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-killed-the-black-middle-classes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/henry-louis-gates-2372_black_since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-kil_342829.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the…” — Henry Louis Gates", "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": "Henry Louis Gates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Since the day Martin Luther King...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-killed-the-black-middle-classes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-killed-the-black-middle-classes/#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 } } ] } ```