--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always root for the black man, like…" description: "\"“I always root for the black man, like penance for something I had not part in creating.”\" — J.M. August" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/j-m-august-42989_quote_i-always-root-for-the-black-man-like-pen_1442430.jpg" --- # I always root for the black man, like penance for… ![“I always root for the black man, like penance for something I had not part in creating.” quote by J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/j-m-august-42989_quote_i-always-root-for-the-black-man-like-pen_1442430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/j-m-august-42989_quote_i-always-root-for-the-black-man-like-pen_1442430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/j-m-august-42989_quote_i-always-root-for-the-black-man-like-pen_1442430.jpg) > ““I always root for the black man, like penance for something I had not part in creating.”” [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) ## 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 expresses solidarity with Black individuals, feeling a sense of moral responsibility for injustices they did not cause. **In simple terms:** Support those facing injustice. Key Takeaway Act with empathy and allyship. Themes solidarity justice guilt allyiance racial issues Mood determined hopeful Type social motivational When to use this quote - activism - community organizing - public speaking - education - policy advocacy Key Concepts ethical responsibility social activism moral psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can one move from feeling guilt to concrete support? - What responsibilities do allies have beyond words? A Different Perspective Allyship may be perceived as performative if not accompanied by action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-man/) [Like Penance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-penance-5165333/) [Penance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penance/) [Penance Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penance-creating-5165334/) [Root Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-black-5165335/) ## Related quotes > [Im happy to be black. 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Kamau Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-kamau-bell/) > [If some black man go out and start something, a riot or something or, I'm not going to jump in it and get killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/if-some-black-man-go-out-and-start-something-a-riot-or-something-or-i/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [People are going to always have their opinions whether you date a black man or not. I've had girlfriends, family members comment on black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanaa-lathan/people-are-going-to-always-have-their-opinions-whether-you-date-a/) [Sanaa Lathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanaa-lathan/) > [“Three cheeses isn’t a choice, it’s a penance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/three-cheeses-isn-t-a-choice-it-s-a-penance/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [When it was over, she gathered him in her arms. And told him the terrible irony of her life. That she had wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/when-it-was-over-she-gathered-him-in-her-arms-and-told-him-the/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“Only the Vitraags (the enlightened ones) can take a beating from the weak, no one else can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/only-the-vitraags-the-enlightened-ones-can-take-a-beating-from-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“I hope I am not for the killing, Anselmo was thinking. I think that after the war there will have to be some great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-hope-i-am-not-for-the-killing-anselmo-was-thinking-i-think-that/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Tattooists are the new priests for the fucked-up and the thrown away. 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How many mother-in-laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/this-worldly-life-is-very-difficult-mother-in-law-comes-mother-of-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Listen carefully to the global warming alarmists, and the main theme that emerges is that what the developed world needs is a large dose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/listen-carefully-to-the-global-warming-alarmists-and-the-main-theme/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) > [To deny one's self, to take up the cross, denotes something immeasurably grander than self-imposed penance or rigid conformity to a Divine statute. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-lorimer/to-deny-one-s-self-to-take-up-the-cross-denotes-something/) [George C. Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-lorimer/) ## More by J.M. August > [“The higher you rise, the dirtier it gets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/the-higher-you-rise-the-dirtier-it-gets/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“I did it again. Lying guilty in a hotel room for a woman I will fail for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/i-did-it-again-lying-guilty-in-a-hotel-room-for-a-woman-i-will-fail/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“Life kicks you and you begin to die, it kicks you again and you don’t care anymore, it kicks you one last time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/life-kicks-you-and-you-begin-to-die-it-kicks-you-again-and-you-don-t/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“Everything led to now, so what does that make you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/everything-led-to-now-so-what-does-that-make-you/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“Because I keep it real and reality is a ruthless bitch. Plus I wanna make money – you cool with that?” - Gable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/because-i-keep-it-real-and-reality-is-a-ruthless-bitch-plus-i-wanna/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“You have this novel idea of the world, like it’s made up of ladder hunting and test taking and framed plaques, all of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/you-have-this-novel-idea-of-the-world-like-it-s-made-up-of-ladder/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“The devil can be a clown of prizes in moments like these. Moments of knowing you’ve ventured too far down the wrong path and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/the-devil-can-be-a-clown-of-prizes-in-moments-like-these-moments-of/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“if a chick can't dance, she can't ride dick, simple as that ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/if-a-chick-can-t-dance-she-can-t-ride-dick-simple-as-that/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [“So what I suggest you start doing is fucking this world better than she’s ever been fucked and start acting like a motherfucker that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/so-what-i-suggest-you-start-doing-is-fucking-this-world-better-than/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) [Explore all 10 J.M. August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) ## 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": "“I always root for the black man, like penance for something I had not part in creating.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.M. 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