African american Quote by Michelle Alexander
““Segregation laws were proposed as part of a deliberate effort to drive a wedge between poor whites and African Americans. These discriminatory barriers were designed to encourage lower-class whites to retain a sense of superiority over blacks, making it far less likely that they would sustain interracial political alliances aimed at toppling the white elite. The laws were, in effect, another racial bribe. As William Julius Wilson has noted, 'As long as poor whites directed their hatred and frustration against the black competitor, the planters were relieved of class hostility directed against them.' Indeed, in order to overcome the well-founded suspicions of poor and illiterate whites that they, as well as blacks, were in danger of losing the right to vote, the leaders of the movement pursued an aggressive campaign of white supremacy in every state prior to black disenfranchisement.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The New Jim Crow, 2010
Segregation laws were a deliberate strategy to pit poor whites against Black Americans, preventing class alliances that could threaten elite power.
In simple terms: Laws divided poor whites and Blacks to keep elites safe.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and dismantle divide‑and‑conquer tactics.
Themes
racial politics
class division
power structures
Mood
critical
hopeful
Type
academic
activist
When to use this quote
- voting rights campaigns
- community dialogues
- education on history
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
social engineering
political strategy
economic exploitation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can cross‑class solidarity be built?
- What narratives reinforce these divisions?
A Different Perspective
Addressing one division may not fix the other.
![“[T]he slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. —W.E.B Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America For” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fdb/michelle-alexander-750_time_t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-momen_96485.jpg)
