--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having a strong race lens means you…" description: "\"Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is threaded through and institutionalized in all of our systems and our very perceptions, threade..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg" --- # Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is… ![“Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is threaded through and institutionalized in all of our systems and our very perceptions, threaded through how someone looks at you, treats you, thinks about you and your potential.” quote by Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg) > “Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is threaded through and institutionalized in all of our systems and our very perceptions, threaded through how someone looks at you, treats you, thinks about you and your potential.” [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing racism as a pervasive, structural force that shapes institutions, interactions, and personal expectations. **In simple terms:** Racism is built into systems and how we see each other. Key Takeaway Adopt a systemic view of equity. Themes equity systemic racism perception social justice Mood reflective critical urgent Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - policy analysis - community organizing - education reform - personal reflection Key Concepts intersectionality institutional bias social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How does systemic bias affect your daily decisions? - What steps can you take to challenge embedded racism? A Different Perspective It may overlook individual agency and diverse experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [In every generation and in every intellectual sphere and in every political moment, there have been African American women who have articulated the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/in-every-generation-and-in-every-intellectual-sphere-and-in-every/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Critical Race Theory offers of discrimination frameworks as ways of understanding and eradicating racism. The focus on "discrimination" as the way to understand racism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/critical-race-theory-offers-of-discrimination-frameworks-as-ways-of/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [We hide our racism. We just go on about our lives - may I say, white Canadians go on about their lives. African-Canadians understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-backhouse/we-hide-our-racism-we-just-go-on-about-our-lives-may-i-say-white/) [Constance Backhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-backhouse/) > [I don't think many people understand what racism is. The intellectuals use it like toilet paper; it's something they can use. It's not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fuhrman/i-don-t-think-many-people-understand-what-racism-is-the-intellectuals/) [Mark Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fuhrman/) > [We're not a racist organization, because we understand that racism is an excuse used for capitalism, and we know that racism is just -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hampton/we-re-not-a-racist-organization-because-we-understand-that-racism-is/) [Fred Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hampton/) > [“A vision of cultural homogeneity that seeks to deflect attention away from or even excuse the oppressive, dehumanizing impact of white supremacy on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/a-vision-of-cultural-homogeneity-that-seeks-to-deflect-attention-away/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [One cannot understand how racism functions in the U.S. today if one ignores group power relations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/one-cannot-understand-how-racism-functions-in-the-u-s-today-if-one/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Why is it so difficult for many white folks to understand that racism is oppressive not because white folks have prejudicial feelings about blacks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/why-is-it-so-difficult-for-many-white-folks-to-understand-that-racism/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Until white people understand that racism is embedded in everything, including our consciousness and socialisation, then we cannot go forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/until-white-people-understand-that-racism-is-embedded-in-everything/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [I've been in this struggle for many years now. I understand racism. I understand that there are a lot of people in this country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/i-ve-been-in-this-struggle-for-many-years-now-i-understand-racism-i/) [Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/) > [I don't understand racism. We are all the same and I have the perfect hypothesis to prove it. I play to all those countries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-don-t-understand-racism-we-are-all-the-same-and-i-have-the-perfect/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [In 1967, I had my first black girlfriend, and a lot more ever since then. I just don't understand racism. I never thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy/in-1967-i-had-my-first-black-girlfriend-and-a-lot-more-ever-since/) [Lemmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy/) > [I didn't really understand racism because I grew up in an all-black society, so I didn't see how it was possible not to like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-didn-t-really-understand-racism-because-i-grew-up-in-an-all-black/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [The minute you understand racism, you're responsible for being racist. It's like eating from the tree of knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-minute-you-understand-racism-you-re-responsible-for-being-racist/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) ## More by Pramila Jayapal > [The fact that the immigration issue was the first thing Trump took aim at was a good thing for me, because it's what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/the-fact-that-the-immigration-issue-was-the-first-thing-trump-took/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [Some people have called me the anti-Trump, and I'm so proud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/some-people-have-called-me-the-anti-trump-and-i-m-so-proud/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [We don't get a more responsive government unless we start to systematically run organizing campaigns to change the way government works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/we-don-t-get-a-more-responsive-government-unless-we-start-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I would attend a State of the Union by a president with whom I disagree if I felt she or he was otherwise respectful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/i-would-attend-a-state-of-the-union-by-a-president-with-whom-i/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I've always believed that immigration is really about who we are as a country and what we're willing to stand up for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/i-ve-always-believed-that-immigration-is-really-about-who-we-are-as-a/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [Individuals whose asylum claims have been accepted have gone on to become professors, soldiers in our military, artists, and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/individuals-whose-asylum-claims-have-been-accepted-have-gone-on-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I feel like young people, more than anyone in the country, always have their moral compass on perfectly straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/i-feel-like-young-people-more-than-anyone-in-the-country-always-have/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [Trump has hated Amazon for a long time, and I think that that came out in many interviews that he's done with 'Vanity Fair'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/trump-has-hated-amazon-for-a-long-time-and-i-think-that-that-came-out/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I am on the side of the working person across the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/i-am-on-the-side-of-the-working-person-across-the-country/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [It took me 17 years to become a U.S. citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/it-took-me-17-years-to-become-a-u-s-citizen/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [When I was a little girl, my dad always said to me that I was going to be this great businesswoman, that I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/when-i-was-a-little-girl-my-dad-always-said-to-me-that-i-was-going-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [When women are told that sexual harassment is 'part of the job' or when assistants of both sexes enable harassing behavior, they have bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/when-women-are-told-that-sexual-harassment-is-part-of-the-job-or-when/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I'm not a complainer. I'm a doer. So if I see something is wrong, then I feel like I have to get in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/i-m-not-a-complainer-i-m-a-doer-so-if-i-see-something-is-wrong-then-i/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [As we say we fight for working people, we have to make sure our policies reflect that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/as-we-say-we-fight-for-working-people-we-have-to-make-sure-our/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [The vast majority of immigrants - regardless of the conditions of war and poverty that may wrack their home countries - come and contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/the-vast-majority-of-immigrants-regardless-of-the-conditions-of-war/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) [Explore all 102 Pramila Jayapal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) ## More Perceptions quotes > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We are taught not to perceive but to avoid direct perceptions of reality and to substitute instead this kind of one-dimensional view of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-are-taught-not-to-perceive-but-to-avoid-direct-perceptions-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“But things change, people change - as do perceptions of people, and now I answer in a language that I hope my teenage self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-harris/but-things-change-people-change-as-do-perceptions-of-people-and-now-i/) [Ali Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-harris/) > [Whatever the circumstances of your life, the understanding of type can make your perceptions clearer, your judgements sounder, and your life closer to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-briggs-myers/whatever-the-circumstances-of-your-life-the-understanding-of-type-can/) [Isabel Briggs Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-briggs-myers/) > [television. It has changed the way that we perceive the world out there, and though we know that - have indeed been bombarded with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-janeway/television-it-has-changed-the-way-that-we-perceive-the-world-out/) [Elizabeth Janeway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-janeway/) > [“our perceptions of the external world are habitually clouded by the verbal notions in terms of which we do our thinking. We are for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/our-perceptions-of-the-external-world-are-habitually-clouded-by-the/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [It's a well known thing that ordinary perceptions can have a strange aspect when one is travelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/it-s-a-well-known-thing-that-ordinary-perceptions-can-have-a-strange/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [The tendency of our perceptions is to emphasise increasingly the objective elements in an impression, unless we have some special reason, as artists have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-tendency-of-our-perceptions-is-to-emphasise-increasingly-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I want to try to help shift perceptions people may have of me as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-walsh/i-want-to-try-to-help-shift-perceptions-people-may-have-of-me-as-an/) [Bradley Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-walsh/) > [We see the world, not as it is, but as we are -- or, as we are conditioned to see it. When we open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/we-see-the-world-not-as-it-is-but-as-we-are-or-as-we-are-conditioned/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [I can neither change people's perceptions nor change my background, and nor would I wish to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/i-can-neither-change-people-s-perceptions-nor-change-my-background/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [The Porsche was just a vehicle to get to another place. I used it to change people's perceptions of me. I had grown up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-grazer/the-porsche-was-just-a-vehicle-to-get-to-another-place-i-used-it-to/) [Brian Grazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-grazer/) Browse all 297 Perceptions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is threaded through and institutionalized in all of our systems and our very perceptions, threaded through how someone looks at you, treats you, thinks about you and your potential.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pramila Jayapal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-understand-racism-is-threaded/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Perceptions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-understand-racism-is-threaded/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/pramila-jayapal-5245_perceptions_having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-unde_939634.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is threaded through and institutionalized in all of…” — Pramila Jayapal", "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": "Pramila Jayapal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Having a strong race lens means...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-understand-racism-is-threaded/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/having-a-strong-race-lens-means-you-understand-racism-is-threaded/#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 } } ] } ```