--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As one of the first African-Americans to…" description: "\"As one of the first African-Americans to be out on a reality program, MTV's 'The Real World: Philadelphia,' I understand the courage it takes to live y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg" --- # As one of the first African-Americans to be out on a… ![“As one of the first African-Americans to be out on a reality program, MTV's 'The Real World: Philadelphia,' I understand the courage it takes to live your truth on a national platform, the importance it holds to LGBT communities of color, and the power it has to create a greater conversation…” quote by Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg) > “As one of the first African-Americans to be out on a reality program, MTV's 'The Real World: Philadelphia,' I understand the courage it takes to live your truth on a national platform, the importance it holds to LGBT communities of color, and the power it has to create a greater conversation within American culture.” [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being openly African‑American on a reality show required personal bravery and helped amplify LGBT people of color, sparking broader cultural dialogue. **In simple terms:** Courage on TV raised visibility for LGBT people of color. Key Takeaway Use your platform to speak truth. Themes courage visibility culture LGBT race Mood inspirational hopeful reflective Type statement testimonial social commentary When to use this quote - activism - media interviews - community events - policy advocacy Key Concepts intersectionality media influence representation social change Questions to Reflect On - How can media representation translate into real‑world change? - What responsibilities do public figures have to marginalized groups? A Different Perspective Impact may be limited without sustained effort beyond TV exposure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Live Your Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-your-truth/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I was on MTV's 'Real World' at the time when 'Queer Eye' came out. I remember, the first time I won an award, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/i-was-on-mtv-s-real-world-at-the-time-when-queer-eye-came-out-i/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [I read that MTV's Real World got 40,000 applications. That's amazing, such an even number. You would have thought it would be 40,008.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-read-that-mtv-s-real-world-got-40-000-applications-that-s-amazing/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [It's not stupid TV, it's not a reality program. It actually is complex. There's many layers to 'Heroes.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-pasdar/it-s-not-stupid-tv-it-s-not-a-reality-program-it-actually-is-complex/) [Adrian Pasdar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-pasdar/) > [“Dear Producers, Something is radiating deep within me and it must be transmitted or I will implode and the world will suffer a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/dear-producers-something-is-radiating-deep-within-me-and-it-must-be/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [My job in MTV was my first real presenting job and I had no real idea what I was doing, but you kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-whitmore/my-job-in-mtv-was-my-first-real-presenting-job-and-i-had-no-real-idea/) [Laura Whitmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-whitmore/) > [Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-your-truth-express-your-love-share-your-enthusiasm-take-action/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Wisdom starts when you know yourself. You will realise that everything aligns itself perfectly when you live your truth, break limiting habits and challenge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itayi-garande/wisdom-starts-when-you-know-yourself-you-will-realise-that-everything/) [Itayi Garande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itayi-garande/) > [“Find your truth, live your truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-owens/find-your-truth-live-your-truth/) J. T. Owens > [“The only way to make your dreams a reality is to live your truth. To embrace your truth, and embrace it with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/the-only-way-to-make-your-dreams-a-reality-is-to-live-your-truth-to/) [Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/) > [To live your truth and sing your truth, that defines success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriella-wilson/to-live-your-truth-and-sing-your-truth-that-defines-success/) [Gabriella Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriella-wilson/) > [You are important, valuable and unique. Don't let any one tell you otherwise. Live your truth and be amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/you-are-important-valuable-and-unique-don-t-let-any-one-tell-you/) [Ricardo Housham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/) > [It takes courage to live your truth. But what you get in return is self-respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/it-takes-courage-to-live-your-truth-but-what-you-get-in-return-is/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [Say your truth-kindly, but fully and completely. Live your truth, gently, but totally and consistently. Change your truth easily and quickly when your experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/say-your-truth-kindly-but-fully-and-completely-live-your-truth-gently/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [When there is truth in your being, God is always with you. When God is with you, there is no question of failure. Live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-there-is-truth-in-your-being-god-is-always-with-you-when-god-is-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing is so unpopular as positive change amongst friends. It seems when you change for the better, the people around you will be inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/nothing-is-so-unpopular-as-positive-change-amongst-friends-it-seems/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) ## More by Karamo Brown > [I think that's one of the greatest gifts that I have: that I can get someone to open up, and all you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/i-think-that-s-one-of-the-greatest-gifts-that-i-have-that-i-can-get/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [There's a lot of 'how to adopt' books, but there's no practical resource for, say, school supplies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/there-s-a-lot-of-how-to-adopt-books-but-there-s-no-practical-resource/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [I was on MTV's 'Real World' at the time when 'Queer Eye' came out. I remember, the first time I won an award, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/i-was-on-mtv-s-real-world-at-the-time-when-queer-eye-came-out-i/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [The challenges of me being a father are just the same as any other father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/the-challenges-of-me-being-a-father-are-just-the-same-as-any-other/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [Encourage your friend and family member who are queer parents of color to post their stories and share it with the world. It's time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/encourage-your-friend-and-family-member-who-are-queer-parents-of/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [My photo has nothing to do with the person I am, the dreams I have, the family I want to build, the family I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/my-photo-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-person-i-am-the-dreams-i-have-the/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [Even when you look at, like, movies with some of our famous celebrities, they don't really cry and bring out their tears until, like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/even-when-you-look-at-like-movies-with-some-of-our-famous-celebrities/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [While the Internet has allowed for some extraordinary progress in creating conversations about diversity, it also allows uninformed comments that one has made in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/while-the-internet-has-allowed-for-some-extraordinary-progress-in/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [In 2007, I discovered I was a father to a little boy who I did not know about. After being on MTV's 'The Real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/in-2007-i-discovered-i-was-a-father-to-a-little-boy-who-i-did-not/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [We're trying to get the world to see it's not always about the outside, it's about the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/we-re-trying-to-get-the-world-to-see-it-s-not-always-about-the/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [My father loved me and was devoted to me until he knew I was gay, and then our relationship went south. So I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/my-father-loved-me-and-was-devoted-to-me-until-he-knew-i-was-gay-and/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [In our country, being from immigrant parents, growing up black in the South, coming out at 16 years old, being a teen parent... you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/in-our-country-being-from-immigrant-parents-growing-up-black-in-the/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [We must do our part to make ourselves visible to the world. Let everyone see that being a queer parent of color is normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/we-must-do-our-part-to-make-ourselves-visible-to-the-world-let/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [The worst thing about our political system is that people debate; I wish our politicians were able to talk to each other rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/the-worst-thing-about-our-political-system-is-that-people-debate-i/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [Homophobia, racism, and sexism are all rooted in the same oppression that causes a group of people to internalize the oppression they've experienced and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/homophobia-racism-and-sexism-are-all-rooted-in-the-same-oppression/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) [Explore all 100 Karamo Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) ## More American culture quotes > [“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/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [ \[If\] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-celebrates-our-love-for-new/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [And certainly in British culture, as I'm sure it's the same with American culture, we warm to cultures where people can make fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/and-certainly-in-british-culture-as-i-m-sure-it-s-the-same-with/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [Canada could have enjoyed: English government, French culture, and American know-how. Instead it ended up with: English know-how, French government, and American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/canada-could-have-enjoyed-english-government-french-culture-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In contemporary American culture, the religions are more and more treated as just passing beliefs - almost as fads - rather than as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/in-contemporary-american-culture-the-religions-are-more-and-more/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [Being educated in the United States gave me a good understanding of American culture. I think I got a lot of influence from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/being-educated-in-the-united-states-gave-me-a-good-understanding-of/) [Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/) > [“From the isolated, individualistic perspective of most white evangelicals and many other Americans, there really is no race problem other than bad interpersonal relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-smith/from-the-isolated-individualistic-perspective-of-most-white/) [Christian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-smith/) > [I got interested in the American culture war back in 2004, and it's one of the only growth stocks I've ever invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-got-interested-in-the-american-culture-war-back-in-2004-and-it-s/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [In American culture at large, but especially in African American culture, it's a sign of weakness to ask for help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/in-american-culture-at-large-but-especially-in-african-american/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) [Browse all 437 American culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As one of the first African-Americans to be out on a reality program, MTV's 'The Real World: Philadelphia,' I understand the courage it takes to live your truth on a national platform, the importance it holds to LGBT communities of color, and the power it has to create a greater conversation within American culture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karamo Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to-be-out-on-a-reality-program/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to-be-out-on-a-reality-program/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/karamo-brown-5694_american-culture_as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to_2075125.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As one of the first African-Americans to be out on a reality program, MTV's 'The Real World: Philadelphia,'…” — Karamo Brown", "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": "Karamo Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As one of the first African-Americans...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to-be-out-on-a-reality-program/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/as-one-of-the-first-african-americans-to-be-out-on-a-reality-program/#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 } } ] } ```