--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The love affair between black folks and…" description: "\"The love affair between black folks and the Clintons has been going on for a long time. It began back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for presid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/michelle-alexander-750_back_the-love-affair-between-black-folks-and_765183.png" --- # The love affair between black folks and the Clintons has… ![“The love affair between black folks and the Clintons has been going on for a long time. It began back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for president. He threw on some shades and played the saxophone on 'The Arsenio Hall Show.' It seems silly in retrospect, but many of us fell for that.” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/michelle-alexander-750_back_the-love-affair-between-black-folks-and_765183.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/michelle-alexander-750_back_the-love-affair-between-black-folks-and_765183.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/michelle-alexander-750_back_the-love-affair-between-black-folks-and_765183.png) > “The love affair between black folks and the Clintons has been going on for a long time. It began back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for president. He threw on some shades and played the saxophone on 'The Arsenio Hall Show.' It seems silly in retrospect, but many of us fell for that.” [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests a longstanding, perhaps superficial, political alliance between Black communities and the Clinton family, originating from a 1992 media moment. **In simple terms:** A political bond formed after a 1992 TV appearance. Key Takeaway Critically assess political narratives and their origins. Themes politics race media history Mood analytical skeptical thoughtful Type commentary political analysis When to use this quote - election campaigns - community organizing - media analysis - historical research Key Concepts Political affiliation cultural perception media influence Questions to Reflect On - What factors truly shape political loyalty? - How does media framing affect community perceptions? A Different Perspective The statement may oversimplify complex voter behavior and ignore diverse political views within Black communities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-affair/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The perception a lot of folks have of the Clintons, even folks who are Democrats, see the Clintons as bending the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/the-perception-a-lot-of-folks-have-of-the-clintons-even-folks-who-are/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [In 1992, Bill Clinton ran on a platform of 'ending welfare as we know it.' His political worldview, drawn from like-minded thinkers at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-easton/in-1992-bill-clinton-ran-on-a-platform-of-ending-welfare-as-we-know/) [Nina Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-easton/) > [Former president Bill Clinton was elected on this very day in 1992. Clinton went on to leave quite a mark in the oval office...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/former-president-bill-clinton-was-elected-on-this-very-day-in-1992/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [Whenever black folks speak candidly about the horrors of police brutality, the default reaction in the United States isn't to start disrupting and dismantling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/whenever-black-folks-speak-candidly-about-the-horrors-of-police/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [The one thing I've learned, getting out to all those foreign and domestic locales, is that people in every country of the 'civilized' world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/the-one-thing-i-ve-learned-getting-out-to-all-those-foreign-and/) [Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/) > [Black folks tell their kids they have to be twice as good as a white person? Well, if I tell a child of mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/black-folks-tell-their-kids-they-have-to-be-twice-as-good-as-a-white/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [A lot of times black folks look for love in all the wrong places. You're always looking for somebody to love you, be accepted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/a-lot-of-times-black-folks-look-for-love-in-all-the-wrong-places-you/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [With Black Lives Matter, we knew from the very beginning that it wasn't just going to live online. We were like, 'We're creating this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/with-black-lives-matter-we-knew-from-the-very-beginning-that-it-wasn/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [Race doesn't really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don't have that choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/race-doesn-t-really-exist-for-you-because-it-has-never-been-a-barrier/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [Black folks aren't asked to make films about all white people. But what would have happened if we did? What would white culture look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/black-folks-aren-t-asked-to-make-films-about-all-white-people-but/) [RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/) > [“White folks have spent years giving Black folks their freedom on paper, but deep down they still expect us to say yes, massuh and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/white-folks-have-spent-years-giving-black-folks-their-freedom-on/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [One of the things I recognized early on, doing whatever studies of black history I have, is that even though black folks were transported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/one-of-the-things-i-recognized-early-on-doing-whatever-studies-of/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [The only black folks in town when I was growing up were me and my cousins and one other family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/the-only-black-folks-in-town-when-i-was-growing-up-were-me-and-my/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [It's good to be surrounded by black folks. Black folks are music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-foxx/it-s-good-to-be-surrounded-by-black-folks-black-folks-are-music/) [Jamie Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-foxx/) > [“Religion can be a good thing. Churches did black folks good after Reconstruction. It was the only place people like Nat Turner and Douglass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaunda-micheaux-nelson/religion-can-be-a-good-thing-churches-did-black-folks-good-after/) [Vaunda Micheaux Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaunda-micheaux-nelson/) ## More by Michelle Alexander > [If you ask for good schools, you aren't likely to get them. If you ask for jobs or economic investment, you won't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-ask-for-good-schools-you-aren-t-likely-to-get-them-if-you-ask/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Seeing race is not the problem. Refusing to care for the people we see is the problem. The fact that the meaning of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/seeing-race-is-not-the-problem-refusing-to-care-for-the-people-we-see/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were under Jim Crow…These figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/felon-disenfranchisement-laws-have-been-more-effective-in-eliminating/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“That was King’s dream—a society that is capable of seeing each of us, as we are, with love. That is a goal worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/that-was-king-s-dream-a-society-that-is-capable-of-seeing-each-of-us/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Activists take the risks, while advocates are professional tinkerers with the system. What's necessary is for those who are advocates to support those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/activists-take-the-risks-while-advocates-are-professional-tinkerers/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Civil rights protests were frequently depicted as criminal rather than political in nature, and federal courts were accused of excessive “lenience” toward lawlessness, thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/civil-rights-protests-were-frequently-depicted-as-criminal-rather/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We cannot 'fix' the police without a revolution of values and radical change to the basic structure of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-cannot-fix-the-police-without-a-revolution-of-values-and-radical/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [ “\[T\]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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-moment-in-the-sun-then-moved-back/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas, like Chicago, have been labeled felons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-take-into-account-prisoners-a-large-majority-of-african/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Explore all 381 Michelle Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More Back quotes > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. 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