--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We probably have, right now, after the…" description: "\"We probably have, right now, after the Civil Rights movement - and this was very unfortunate - the most glaring time of giving up on Africa, saying we'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/john-henrik-clarke-2865_americans_we-probably-have-right-now-after-the-civ_709592.png" --- # We probably have, right now, after the Civil Rights… ![“We probably have, right now, after the Civil Rights movement - and this was very unfortunate - the most glaring time of giving up on Africa, saying we're Americans. We are Americans. I'm not arguing that point. So are the Italians. So are the Germans. So are the Jews. We're Americans with an…” quote by John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/john-henrik-clarke-2865_americans_we-probably-have-right-now-after-the-civ_709592.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/john-henrik-clarke-2865_americans_we-probably-have-right-now-after-the-civ_709592.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/john-henrik-clarke-2865_americans_we-probably-have-right-now-after-the-civ_709592.png) > “We probably have, right now, after the Civil Rights movement - and this was very unfortunate - the most glaring time of giving up on Africa, saying we're Americans. We are Americans. I'm not arguing that point. So are the Italians. So are the Germans. So are the Jews. We're Americans with an historical geography of origins outside of the United States as all people, maybe except the indigenous Americans who came here so long ago, who have generations of people whose historical origins are right here but whose initial historical origins are somewhere in Asia.” [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) ## 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 highlights America’s multicultural roots, urging recognition of diverse origins while noting the paradox of national identity and historical geography. **In simple terms:** America is a mix of many origins; we should acknowledge that. Key Takeaway Recognize and celebrate the varied cultural backgrounds that form national identity. Themes identity multiculturalism history Mood thoughtful inspired Type reflective educational When to use this quote - education - public policy - community building - media narratives Key Concepts nationalism diaspora inclusion Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance heritage with unity? - What role does education play in fostering inclusive identity? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on origins can ignore present shared experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Americans Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-americans-1642489/) [Americans Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-came-2328263/) [Americans Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-historical-3482133/) [Arguing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/) [Asia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asia/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Civil rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Geography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geography/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Indigenous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous/) [Initials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initials/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Saying Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-americans-2631222/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Unfortunate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [When I was seven years old, I fell in love with a series published by Bobbs-Merrill called 'The Childhood of Famous Americans.' In it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/when-i-was-seven-years-old-i-fell-in-love-with-a-series-published-by/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) > [“Americans. They came right out with things. Hitchens family lore related the tale of how once, when I was but a toddler, my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/americans-they-came-right-out-with-things-hitchens-family-lore/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I feel pretty safe in saying that most Americans can't tell you off the top of their head who the Kurds are or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-feel-pretty-safe-in-saying-that-most-americans-can-t-tell-you-off/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [“The atmosphere in the room was icy, and all the occupants of the room, as if by agreement, had their hands on the table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-malley/the-atmosphere-in-the-room-was-icy-and-all-the-occupants-of-the-room/) [Daniel O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-malley/) > [I spent a lot of time with some native Hawaiians who protest being part of the United States and literally carry protest signs saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-with-some-native-hawaiians-who-protest-being/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [We Latinos always stick together. I'm not saying the Americans don't, but Latinos are more familiar. They look for each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-lindor/we-latinos-always-stick-together-i-m-not-saying-the-americans-don-t/) [Francisco Lindor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-lindor/) > [My father's family didn't really know much about our ancestry. I mean, they had the story that I think a lot of white Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/my-father-s-family-didn-t-really-know-much-about-our-ancestry-i-mean/) [Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/) > [“The two women switched to their native tongue. Kate tuned them out. She understood only half of what they were saying. As with most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/the-two-women-switched-to-their-native-tongue-kate-tuned-them-out-she/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [Let us stop saying 'white Americans' and 'colored Americans,' let us try once and for all saying... Americans. Let human beings be equal on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-baker/let-us-stop-saying-white-americans-and-colored-americans-let-us-try/) [Josephine Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-baker/) > [America is made up of people who came from someplace else. Even the Native Americans came over the Bering strait... America is what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/america-is-made-up-of-people-who-came-from-someplace-else-even-the/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [“Lieutenant Linh said, “Thank you for this valuable information, it gives us an opportunity to take counter-measures to nullify the American attack! I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/lieutenant-linh-said-thank-you-for-this-valuable-information-it-gives/) [Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/) > [My parents are proud of their Indian heritage, but they came halfway across the world so their children could be born here, raised here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/my-parents-are-proud-of-their-indian-heritage-but-they-came-halfway/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [...I'm saying that we (Americans) have sunk pretty low and I'm saying that you can look at the moral climate in Germany in 1933.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-clennon/i-m-saying-that-we-americans-have-sunk-pretty-low-and-i-m-saying-that/) [David Clennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-clennon/) > [I'm so tired of the left trying to divide us by race. One of the things I said today in my speech, we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/i-m-so-tired-of-the-left-trying-to-divide-us-by-race-one-of-the/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [There's a deep-seated paranoia that Americans have about not being Americans or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/there-s-a-deep-seated-paranoia-that-americans-have-about-not-being/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More by John Henrik Clarke > [Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox form of Arab-oriented Islam, I doubt if he would have attracted 500 people, but he introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/had-elijah-muhammad-tried-to-introduce-an-orthodox-form-of-arab/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [My main point here is that if you are the child of God and God is a part of you, the in your imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/my-main-point-here-is-that-if-you-are-the-child-of-god-and-god-is-a/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Service is the highest form of prayer as far as I am concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/service-is-the-highest-form-of-prayer-as-far-as-i-am-concerned/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gotten-lost-in-history/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [I question the political judgement of those who would have the nerve to paint Christ white with his obvious African nose, lips and wooly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/i-question-the-political-judgement-of-those-who-would-have-the-nerve/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [My loving sister Mary has always shared the pain and pleasure of my heartbeat in a unique and special way. We have sung our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/my-loving-sister-mary-has-always-shared-the-pain-and-pleasure-of-my/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [There are some long silences in Scandinavian and some Japanese films, when the audience knows action is taking place, but the audience hears no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/there-are-some-long-silences-in-scandinavian-and-some-japanese-films/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [When I was able to go to school in my early years, my third grade teacher, Ms. Harris, convinced me that one day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/when-i-was-able-to-go-to-school-in-my-early-years-my-third-grade/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Violence among all people is based on dissatisfaction, frustration and crushed ambition and people who don't know who to strike at and who to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/violence-among-all-people-is-based-on-dissatisfaction-frustration-and/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [What we might have been dealing with here - with the building of the Pyramids - is an age that got lost. Man had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/what-we-might-have-been-dealing-with-here-with-the-building-of-the/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Slavery ended and left its false images of black people intact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/slavery-ended-and-left-its-false-images-of-black-people-intact/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [History is a compass that you locate yourself on the map of human geography, politically, culturally, financially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/history-is-a-compass-that-you-locate-yourself-on-the-map-of-human/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [You walk out in the street, we don't know if we're going to get across. It's a test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/you-walk-out-in-the-street-we-don-t-know-if-we-re-going-to-get-across/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Nothing the European mind ever devised was meant to do anything but to facilitate the European's control over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/nothing-the-european-mind-ever-devised-was-meant-to-do-anything-but/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Break all the TVs, burn all the Bibles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/break-all-the-tvs-burn-all-the-bibles/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) [Explore all 147 John Henrik Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) ## More Americans quotes > [“People – Americans, mostly – realise how attached they are to material comforts when they arrive in India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-william-roberts/people-americans-mostly-realise-how-attached-they-are-to-material/) [Paul William Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-william-roberts/) > [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/) [Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/) [Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/) > [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/) [Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We Americans tend to be a prodigal lot. We are as careless with our personal resources as we are with the resources of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crook-de-camp/we-americans-tend-to-be-a-prodigal-lot-we-are-as-careless-with-our/) [Catherine Crook de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crook-de-camp/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [“Using a wide variety of media, we could demonstrate for our fellow Americans their anxieties, desires, insufficiencies, and frustrations--and how to assuage them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/using-a-wide-variety-of-media-we-could-demonstrate-for-our-fellow/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/the-americans-say-that-we-are-ungrateful-but-i-ask-them-for-heaven-s/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [You are Americans. You love this country. Together we are entrusted with the principles that represent mankind's greatest political and social achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/you-are-americans-you-love-this-country-together-we-are-entrusted/) [Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/) [Browse all 1,536 Americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We probably have, right now, after the Civil Rights movement - and this was very unfortunate - the most glaring time of giving up on Africa, saying we're Americans. We are Americans. I'm not arguing that point. So are the Italians. So are the Germans. So are the Jews. 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