--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the 21st century, white America got a…" description: "\"In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the western world came to realize that people of color had not g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/jeremiah-wright-21541_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-white-america-got-a_993729.jpg" --- # In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call… ![“In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared' as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring black concerns.” quote by Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/jeremiah-wright-21541_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-white-america-got-a_993729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/jeremiah-wright-21541_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-white-america-got-a_993729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/jeremiah-wright-21541_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-white-america-got-a_993729.jpg) > “In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared' as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring black concerns.” [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) ## 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 reflects how the 9/11 attacks forced many white Americans to confront the persistent presence and concerns of people of color, which had been ignored or minimized. **In simple terms:** White Americans realized they could no longer ignore Black issues. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address systemic racial blind spots. Themes race awareness social change historical reckoning Mood reflective serious Type political social commentary When to use this quote - community dialogues - policy reform - education curricula - media representation Key Concepts systemic racism white privilege social invisibility Questions to Reflect On - How have personal attitudes shifted since 9/11? - What actions can reduce racial blind spots? A Different Perspective It may overgeneralize the experiences of all white Americans. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Merry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merry/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [President Barack Obama read to a certain portion of white America as an unending attack on white Christian identity, centrality and cultural relevance. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/president-barack-obama-read-to-a-certain-portion-of-white-america-as/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [“But of course the Western changed along with America’s view of itself, from some sort of heroic country, where everybody’s free, to the spiritually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/but-of-course-the-western-changed-along-with-america-s-view-of-itself/) [Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/) > [My songs never really reach the ears of white America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/my-songs-never-really-reach-the-ears-of-white-america/) [Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/) > [We must have a government which is not only a guarantor of public order and safety and which preserves the right of White citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lincoln-rockwell/we-must-have-a-government-which-is-not-only-a-guarantor-of-public/) [George Lincoln Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lincoln-rockwell/) > [Death of a Salesman' is a brilliant taxonomy of the spiritual atrophy of mid-twentieth-century white America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/death-of-a-salesman-is-a-brilliant-taxonomy-of-the-spiritual-atrophy/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [“The argument is that Black History Month dwells too much on the downside of white America's relationship to its brothers of African heritage, slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/the-argument-is-that-black-history-month-dwells-too-much-on-the/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [Country music originates with the colloquial, rural aspects of white America. It's really, truly, rural white America's blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/country-music-originates-with-the-colloquial-rural-aspects-of-white/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [Ironically, white America will catapult books about race to the top of the best-seller list, even as racism remains a national open wound. Obsession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marita-golden/ironically-white-america-will-catapult-books-about-race-to-the-top-of/) [Marita Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marita-golden/) > [Black Power can be clearly defined for those who do not attach the fears of white America to their questions about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stokely-carmichael/black-power-can-be-clearly-defined-for-those-who-do-not-attach-the/) [Stokely Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stokely-carmichael/) > [White America is tortured by black America's failure to thrive, and all that guilt and anxiety has only gotten worse as a substantial quota…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/white-america-is-tortured-by-black-america-s-failure-to-thrive-and/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [“Since neither black animosity nor the Left’s falsehood of “racial tensions” is based on the actual behavior of the vast majority of white Americans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/since-neither-black-animosity-nor-the-left-s-falsehood-of-racial/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/to-be-white-in-america-is-to-assume-with-total-self-confidence-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Black America now has the power to achieve economic inclusion, which we rightfully deserve because we built this country. This is a conversation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-allen/black-america-now-has-the-power-to-achieve-economic-inclusion-which/) [Byron Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-allen/) > [When the Kerner Commission told white America what black America has always known, that prejudice and hatred built the nation’s slums, maintains them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/when-the-kerner-commission-told-white-america-what-black-america-has/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) ## More by Jeremiah Wright > [I do what I do. Barack Obama does what politicians do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/i-do-what-i-do-barack-obama-does-what-politicians-do/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [Barack Obama says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they're two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/barack-obama-says-what-he-has-to-say-as-a-politician-i-say-what-i/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [(The United States) is the same as al-Qaeda, under a different color flag, calling on the name a different God to sanction and approve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/the-united-states-is-the-same-as-al-qaeda-under-a-different-color/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [White folk done took this country. You're in their home, and they're gonna let you know it.You are not now, nor have you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/white-folk-done-took-this-country-you-re-in-their-home-and-they-re/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [ It gets to be a problem when I decide one position should be the law for everybody. In public life, we \[people\] have to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/it-gets-to-be-a-problem-when-i-decide-one-position-should-be-the-law/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/the-government-lied-about-inventing-the-hiv-virus-as-a-means-of/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [Price above Principle makes you a Prostitute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/price-above-principle-makes-you-a-prostitute/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [ We \[people\] need to stop lumping folks together and start living together. Otherwise, we're going to kill each other off because you don't believe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/we-people-need-to-stop-lumping-folks-together-and-start-living/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [Them Jews aren't going to let (Obama) talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/them-jews-aren-t-going-to-let-obama-talk-to-me-i-told-my-baby/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [You should understand that private faith does not force public decisions. That's how you work at compromise. I haven't given up what I believe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/you-should-understand-that-private-faith-does-not-force-public/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [Faith in public life does not mean that God tells you to bomb another country or to go get Saddam Hussein. Faith in public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/faith-in-public-life-does-not-mean-that-god-tells-you-to-bomb-another/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [America is still the No. 1 killer in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/america-is-still-the-no-1-killer-in-the-world/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [Being at odds with policies is nothing new to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/being-at-odds-with-policies-is-nothing-new-to-me/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [Faith should be pulled into the public arena when it affects how we live. If it doesn't, it does no earthly good. What does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/faith-should-be-pulled-into-the-public-arena-when-it-affects-how-we/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [White folks' greed runs a world in need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/white-folks-greed-runs-a-world-in-need/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) [Explore all 29 Jeremiah Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) Comic Strip Mama > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) Browse all 771 21st century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. 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