--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that, for so much of our…" description: "\"I think that, for so much of our matriculation through American society, black people sort of feel like outsiders.\" — Kenya Barris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg" --- # I think that, for so much of our matriculation through… ![“I think that, for so much of our matriculation through American society, black people sort of feel like outsiders.” quote by Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg) > “I think that, for so much of our matriculation through American society, black people sort of feel like outsiders.” [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Black Americans often experience a sense of alienation within mainstream culture, feeling like outsiders. **In simple terms:** Black people feel like outsiders. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and bridge cultural gaps. Themes identity alienation race society Mood thoughtful serious Type sociological inspirational When to use this quote - education - workplace - media representation Key Concepts sociology cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - How can inclusion be improved? - What does belonging mean to you? A Different Perspective Overgeneralizing can ignore diverse experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Like Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-outsiders-256060/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Society Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-black-2371120/) [Think Matriculation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-matriculation-5131790/) ## Related quotes > [There were class differences among black people then and there are class differences among black people now. 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Never pretend, like you do, that it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/once-a-man-has-seen-society-s-black-underbelly-he-can-never-turn-his/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“I was astonished, bewildered. This was America, a country where, whatever its faults, people could speak, write, assemble, demonstrate without fear. It was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-was-astonished-bewildered-this-was-america-a-country-where-whatever/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [“Anyone can be made to feel like an outsider. It’s up to the people who have the power to exclude. Often it’s on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/anyone-can-be-made-to-feel-like-an-outsider-it-s-up-to-the-people-who/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) ## More by Kenya Barris > [I wanted to do a show about a family that is absolutely black. Because as Du Bois has shown, we do have to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-wanted-to-do-a-show-about-a-family-that-is-absolutely-black-because/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [We're supposed to be becoming more evolved as a society, and we're actually becoming less evolved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/we-re-supposed-to-be-becoming-more-evolved-as-a-society-and-we-re/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [I consider myself a disciple of Norman Lear. And one of the things he did was topic-driven humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-consider-myself-a-disciple-of-norman-lear-and-one-of-the-things-he/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [I want to start really developing more on the film side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-want-to-start-really-developing-more-on-the-film-side/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [And I feel like, as a black man within black culture, I know very well firsthand - as do my parents and my grandparents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/and-i-feel-like-as-a-black-man-within-black-culture-i-know-very-well/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [There's never really been a true apology for slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/there-s-never-really-been-a-true-apology-for-slavery/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [I have a 'hope for the best, expect the worst' mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-have-a-hope-for-the-best-expect-the-worst-mentality/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [For me, one of the big things I really worried about a lot was nuclear war growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/for-me-one-of-the-big-things-i-really-worried-about-a-lot-was-nuclear/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [I have five kids, and people can say 'nature versus nurture,' but it is nature! Nurture has so little to do with it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-have-five-kids-and-people-can-say-nature-versus-nurture-but-it-is/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [The acknowledgement and celebration of Juneteenth as an American and possibly international holiday is something that I would put in the life goals column…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/the-acknowledgement-and-celebration-of-juneteenth-as-an-american-and/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [My kids did not know that Obama was the first black president. I felt like I needed to tell them because I felt like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/my-kids-did-not-know-that-obama-was-the-first-black-president-i-felt/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [Writers' rooms are terrifying. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that, for so much of our matriculation through American society, black people sort of feel like outsiders.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenya Barris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matriculation-through-american/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matriculation-through-american/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/kenya-barris-8436_american_i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matricul_2249497.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that, for so much of our matriculation through American society, black people sort of feel like…” — Kenya Barris", "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": "Kenya Barris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that, for so much...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matriculation-through-american/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-think-that-for-so-much-of-our-matriculation-through-american/#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 } } ] } ```