--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If folks can learn to be racist, then…" description: "\"If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then, dad gum, people can learn about gender equ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg" --- # If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be… ![“If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then, dad gum, people can learn about gender equality.” quote by Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg) > “If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then, dad gum, people can learn about gender equality.” [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If prejudice can be learned, then anti‑prejudice can also be learned; equality is teachable. **In simple terms:** Prejudice is learnable. Key Takeaway Educate to unlearn bias. Themes prejudice learning equality Mood inspirational thoughtful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - schools - workplaces - family discussions - media consumption Key Concepts neuroplasticity social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - What methods effectively change biased attitudes? - Who can model anti‑prejudice behavior? A Different Perspective Deeply ingrained biases resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-racist/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Gender equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-equality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) ## Related quotes > [We learn to be racist, therefore we can learn not to be racist. Racism is not genetical. It has everything to do with power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-elliott/we-learn-to-be-racist-therefore-we-can-learn-not-to-be-racist-racism/) [Jane Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-elliott/) > [“She shook her head. “I swear, Roberts, the more I learn about your gender, the more I think a sperm donor, a good handyman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/she-shook-her-head-i-swear-roberts-the-more-i-learn-about-your-gender/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [We live in an age of micro aggressions where people are deemed racist or sexist of phobic for making one wrong tweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cernovich/we-live-in-an-age-of-micro-aggressions-where-people-are-deemed-racist/) [Mike Cernovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cernovich/) > [Conservatism in general is bad, and it's racist and sexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/conservatism-in-general-is-bad-and-it-s-racist-and-sexist/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [It is an absolute impossibility in this society to reversely sexually objectify heterosexual men, just as it is impossible for a poor person of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/it-is-an-absolute-impossibility-in-this-society-to-reversely-sexually/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [Dont people ever get tired of making racist, sexist, cultural or sexuality comments about eachother, everyone is equal and its time everyone got treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/internet-kid/dont-people-ever-get-tired-of-making-racist-sexist-cultural-or/) Internet Kid > [I'm very hesitant to call somebody a racist, a sexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/i-m-very-hesitant-to-call-somebody-a-racist-a-sexist/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [Racist, sexist, and homophobic thoughts cannot, alas, be abolished by fiat but only by the time-honored methods of persuasion, education and exposure to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/racist-sexist-and-homophobic-thoughts-cannot-alas-be-abolished-by/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [We cannot go back to a racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic type of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-cannot-go-back-to-a-racist-sexist-homophobic-islamophobic-type-of/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [It's exhausting to always be writing and thinking about a new person being racist or sexist or otherwise awful. It's exhausting to feel compelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/it-s-exhausting-to-always-be-writing-and-thinking-about-a-new-person/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [“I like being present in spaces where I am not welcome because you do not deserve to feel comfortable just because you're racist or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scaachi-koul/i-like-being-present-in-spaces-where-i-am-not-welcome-because-you-do/) [Scaachi Koul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scaachi-koul/) > [What Donald Trump has done is to make it possible for people who had racist, sexist, and all kinds of prejudices and bigotry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/what-donald-trump-has-done-is-to-make-it-possible-for-people-who-had/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [As a black woman, I have no particular interest in maintaining the status quo. Why would I? The status quo is harmful; the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/as-a-black-woman-i-have-no-particular-interest-in-maintaining-the/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [For far too long we've allowed the other side to paint us as racist, as sexist, inhumane war mongers - well, today as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/for-far-too-long-we-ve-allowed-the-other-side-to-paint-us-as-racist/) [Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/) > [ \[Trump's worldview states\] that, for example, women are incompetent as compared to men in business settings. That women in general are intellectually inferior and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pozner/trump-s-worldview-states-that-for-example-women-are-incompetent-as/) [Jennifer Pozner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pozner/) ## More by Johnnetta B. Cole > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-ultimate-expression-of-generosity-is-not-in-giving-of-what-you/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [the trouble with a woman standing behind her man is that she can't see where she is going!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-trouble-with-a-woman-standing-behind-her-man-is-that-she-can-t/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The woman who bore me is no longer alive, but I seem to be her daughter in increasingly profound ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-woman-who-bore-me-is-no-longer-alive-but-i-seem-to-be-her/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [What you give ought to be in direct relationship to what you've received. If you have been blessed with a great deal, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/what-you-give-ought-to-be-in-direct-relationship-to-what-you-ve/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The histories of the poor and the powerless are as important as those of their conquerors, their colonizers, their kings and queens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-histories-of-the-poor-and-the-powerless-are-as-important-as-those/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The more we pull together toward a new day, the less it matters what pushed us apart in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-more-we-pull-together-toward-a-new-day-the-less-it-matters-what/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [There are not many of us African American Sister Presidents, and those of us who are in this field do not have an easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/there-are-not-many-of-us-african-american-sister-presidents-and-those/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Now, if you want to know my secret love, it is to be able to serve as an example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/now-if-you-want-to-know-my-secret-love-it-is-to-be-able-to-serve-as/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [An education that teaches you to understand something about the world has done only half of the assignment. The other half is to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/an-education-that-teaches-you-to-understand-something-about-the-world/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [racism is alive and doing too well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/racism-is-alive-and-doing-too-well-in-america/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Crisis' seems to be too mild a word to describe conditions in countless African-American communities. It is beyond crisis when in the richest nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/crisis-seems-to-be-too-mild-a-word-to-describe-conditions-in/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/show-me-someone-content-with-mediocrity-and-i-ll-show-you-someone/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must intellectually wrestle with it. When students study all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-never-exclude-the-realities-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Faced with what seems like an impossible task, a group of folks will do well to remember the African proverb: When spider webs unite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/faced-with-what-seems-like-an-impossible-task-a-group-of-folks-will/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) [Explore all 18 Johnnetta B. Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) ## More Anti racist quotes > [What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hani/what-we-need-in-south-africa-is-for-egos-to-be-suppressed-in-favour/) [Chris Hani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hani/) > [“Whether they are able to enact it as lived practice or not, many white folks active in anti-racist struggle today are able to acknowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/whether-they-are-able-to-enact-it-as-lived-practice-or-not-many-white/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up business and dirty shops. They ought to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-barry/we-got-to-do-something-about-these-asians-coming-in-and-opening-up/) [Marion Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-barry/) > [I find that white people in general, including white liberals and even revolutionaries, are most inclined to call you a racist when they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/runoko-rashidi/i-find-that-white-people-in-general-including-white-liberals-and-even/) [Runoko Rashidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/runoko-rashidi/) > [I want to go up to the closest white person and say: 'You can't understand this, it's a black thing' and then slap him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barron/i-want-to-go-up-to-the-closest-white-person-and-say-you-can-t/) Charles Barron > [The system of patriarchy is a historic construct; it has a beginning; it will have an end. Its time seems to have nearly run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/the-system-of-patriarchy-is-a-historic-construct-it-has-a-beginning/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [Controlling women as the means of reproduction is made even more necessary by any race or caste or class system. It just comes together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/controlling-women-as-the-means-of-reproduction-is-made-even-more/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Hollywood has successfully produced many films framed by anti-racist or pro-integrationist story lines. I'm going to guess that since 'Gone With The Wind,' Hollywood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/hollywood-has-successfully-produced-many-films-framed-by-anti-racist/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [Islam doesn't try to destroy cultures; it cleans them up. You can keep your language but get rid of your racist speech. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/islam-doesn-t-try-to-destroy-cultures-it-cleans-them-up-you-can-keep/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [We must never remain silent in the face of bigotry. We must condemn those who seek to divide us. In all quarters and at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-must-never-remain-silent-in-the-face-of-bigotry-we-must-condemn/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [A few years ago, (Barack Obama) would have been getting us coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/a-few-years-ago-barack-obama-would-have-been-getting-us-coffee/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“The belief in the power of "institutional racism" allows black civil rights leaders to denounce America as a "racist" society, when it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-belief-in-the-power-of-institutional-racism-allows-black-civil/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [I, with millions of other Americans, have the same dream Martin Luther King Jr. had; when I wake up I wish some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-with-millions-of-other-americans-have-the-same-dream-martin-luther/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [It does no service to the cause of racial equality for white people to content themselves with judging themselves to be nonracist. Few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-page/it-does-no-service-to-the-cause-of-racial-equality-for-white-people/) [Clarence Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-page/) > [“An anti-racist person is on a life-long journey that includes forming new understanding of and ways to live her or his racial identity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-derman-sparks/an-anti-racist-person-is-on-a-life-long-journey-that-includes-forming/) Louise Derman-Sparks [Browse all 56 Anti racist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-racist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then, dad gum, people can learn about gender equality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Johnnetta B. Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-they-can-learn-to-be-anti-racist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anti racist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-they-can-learn-to-be-anti-racist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_anti-racist_if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-the_1906788.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then…” — Johnnetta B. Cole", "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": "Johnnetta B. Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If folks can learn to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-they-can-learn-to-be-anti-racist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-they-can-learn-to-be-anti-racist/#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 } } ] } ```