--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time…" description: "\"If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time, roughly 50 years later when he published 'The Other America', I'd still be writing about poverty and also entr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg" --- # If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time, roughly 50 years… ![“If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time, roughly 50 years later when he published 'The Other America', I'd still be writing about poverty and also entrenched racial injustice.” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg) > “If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time, roughly 50 years later when he published 'The Other America', I'd still be writing about poverty and also entrenched racial injustice.” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He notes that despite decades, poverty and racial injustice remain persistent issues. **In simple terms:** Poverty and racism persist over time. Key Takeaway Address systemic inequality continuously. Themes social justice inequality racism Mood reflective critical Type analytical advocational When to use this quote - public policy - community organizing - academic research - advocacy Key Concepts structural poverty policy failure historical continuity Questions to Reflect On - How can we break the cycle of persistent poverty? - What policies could effectively combat entrenched racism? A Different Perspective Solutions require more than awareness; they need structural change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-writing-1948423/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Later Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-published-5467131/) [Michael Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michael-harrington-5467132/) [Racial Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-injustice/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poverty-5467130/) ## Related quotes > [Armchair poverty tourism has been around as long as authors have written about class. As an author, I have struggled myself with the nuances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/armchair-poverty-tourism-has-been-around-as-long-as-authors-have/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [“Evolution of Naskar (Sonnet 2693-2694) I didn't have internet while growing up, I used to save pocket money to buy nonfiction, and lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/evolution-of-naskar-sonnet-2693-2694-i-didn-t-have-internet-while/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [In America, if your next-door neighbor has a Rolls-Royce, you want one too. But in England, if your neighbor has a Rolls-Royce, you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-america-if-your-next-door-neighbor-has-a-rolls-royce-you-want-one/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I've never had a mentor personally of any kind. It feels like, generally, in the writing world or the art world, it's more of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-ve-never-had-a-mentor-personally-of-any-kind-it-feels-like/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [By ignoring a lot of American culture you can write more interesting stories. Unfortunately, if you were writing about America as it is, you'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/by-ignoring-a-lot-of-american-culture-you-can-write-more-interesting/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [Though the rampant racial injustices throughout the criminal justice system were offensive to me and to millions of other people, I've never drawn a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/though-the-rampant-racial-injustices-throughout-the-criminal-justice/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [There's so much that I learned about systemic racism, the history of racial injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/there-s-so-much-that-i-learned-about-systemic-racism-the-history-of/) [Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/) > [Kneeling for the anthem does nothing to advance solutions to racial injustice, police brutality, or any other social plight. It is a slap in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gaetz/kneeling-for-the-anthem-does-nothing-to-advance-solutions-to-racial/) [Matt Gaetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gaetz/) > [“Issues related to diversity such as racial injustice are everyone’s problem, and thus everyone ought to be part of the solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-a-longman/issues-related-to-diversity-such-as-racial-injustice-are-everyone-s/) [Karen A Longman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-a-longman/) > [Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/now-is-the-time-to-lift-our-national-policy-from-the-quicksand-of/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Mankind's survival is dependent on man's ability to solve the problems of racial injustice, poverty, and war; the solution of these problems is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/mankind-s-survival-is-dependent-on-man-s-ability-to-solve-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The darkness of racial injustice will be dispelled only by the light of forgiving love. For more that three centuries American Negroes have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-darkness-of-racial-injustice-will-be-dispelled-only-by-the-light/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [What the Black lives matter movement is doing is they are making it personal. They are making it hash tagged, exposing the racial injustice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/what-the-black-lives-matter-movement-is-doing-is-they-are-making-it/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [“Comey had turned away from his upbringing and embraced various kinds of evangelism. He wrote his thesis on how the evangelist teacher Jerry Falwell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/comey-had-turned-away-from-his-upbringing-and-embraced-various-kinds/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [Wearing that uniform for Team U.S.A., we represent everyone in America and yet, under that umbrella, we are also representing people that are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breanna-stewart/wearing-that-uniform-for-team-u-s-a-we-represent-everyone-in-america/) [Breanna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breanna-stewart/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time, roughly 50 years later when he published 'The Other America', I'd still be writing about poverty and also entrenched racial injustice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Desmond" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time-roughly-50-years-later-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time-roughly-50-years-later-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/matthew-desmond-1529_america_if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time_2307176.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I wrote in Michael Harrington's time, roughly 50 years later when he published 'The Other America', I'd…” — Matthew Desmond", "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": "Matthew Desmond", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I wrote in Michael Harrington's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time-roughly-50-years-later-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-i-wrote-in-michael-harrington-s-time-roughly-50-years-later-when/#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 } } ] } ```