--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the U.S., while individual whites…" description: "\"In the U.S., while individual whites might be against racism, they still benefit from their group's control. Yes, an individual person of color can sit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/robin-diangelo-10183_control_in-the-u-s-while-individual-whites-might_1430891.jpg" --- # In the U.S., while individual whites might be against… ![“In the U.S., while individual whites might be against racism, they still benefit from their group's control. Yes, an individual person of color can sit at the tables of power, but the overwhelming majority of decision-makers will be white. Yes, white people can have problems and face barriers, but…” quote by Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/robin-diangelo-10183_control_in-the-u-s-while-individual-whites-might_1430891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/robin-diangelo-10183_control_in-the-u-s-while-individual-whites-might_1430891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/robin-diangelo-10183_control_in-the-u-s-while-individual-whites-might_1430891.jpg) > “In the U.S., while individual whites might be against racism, they still benefit from their group's control. Yes, an individual person of color can sit at the tables of power, but the overwhelming majority of decision-makers will be white. Yes, white people can have problems and face barriers, but systematic racism won't be one of them.” [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. White individuals often deny systemic advantage, yet societal structures keep power predominantly white, sustaining racism despite personal attitudes. **In simple terms:** White people benefit from systemic power even if they oppose racism. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic bias, not just personal prejudice. Themes racism systemic inequality privilege social justice Mood reflective concerned Type analytical critical When to use this quote - policy making - corporate leadership - education - healthcare - law enforcement Key Concepts critical race theory structural power white fragility Questions to Reflect On - How does personal belief intersect with systemic advantage? - What actions can individuals take to challenge structural bias? A Different Perspective Individual attitudes alone cannot dismantle entrenched institutional racism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [Individual Whites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-whites-2572690/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Benefit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-benefit-2572691/) [Racism Won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-won-5095231/) [Systematic Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/systematic-racism-5095230/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) [Whites Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whites-racism-2572692/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [While individual whites may be against racism, they still benefit from the distribution of resources controlled by their group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/while-individual-whites-may-be-against-racism-they-still-benefit-from/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [It's not enough to just say 'I'm not racist' because you're not a purveyor of overt racism. If you benefit from the system, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-anne-pinnock/it-s-not-enough-to-just-say-i-m-not-racist-because-you-re-not-a/) [Leigh-Anne Pinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-anne-pinnock/) > [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/) > [White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/white-people-in-north-america-live-in-a-social-environment-that/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [For a lot of white people, just suggesting that being white has meaning will trigger a deep, defensive response. And that defensiveness serves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/for-a-lot-of-white-people-just-suggesting-that-being-white-has/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [A fundamental but very challenging part of my work is moving white people from an individual understanding of racism - i.e. only some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/a-fundamental-but-very-challenging-part-of-my-work-is-moving-white/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Most white people cannot answer the question, 'What does it mean to be white?' with any depth or complexity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/most-white-people-cannot-answer-the-question-what-does-it-mean-to-be/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [White people are very wily when it comes to race. We will do everything that we can to get out from under the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/white-people-are-very-wily-when-it-comes-to-race-we-will-do/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [I'm not at all against white people adopting black children, because we're all human beings who need to give love and be nurtured in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-m-not-at-all-against-white-people-adopting-black-children-because/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [I know I'm more forgiving than most African Americans when it comes to second chances for White people who not only commit a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-know-i-m-more-forgiving-than-most-african-americans-when-it-comes/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [“Even at the tender age of twelve, when I knelt in front of the bishop for my confirmation, I had the sneaking suspicion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-edwards/even-at-the-tender-age-of-twelve-when-i-knelt-in-front-of-the-bishop/) [Megan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-edwards/) > [“Just before we entered the gorge, we pulled into an eddy to fix an oarlock and I asked Dave Heckman, our leader, what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-johnston/just-before-we-entered-the-gorge-we-pulled-into-an-eddy-to-fix-an/) [Tracy Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-johnston/) > [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“That one over this is the one for the use of the white people,” Judge Amistead Jones said. “Not that I am a stickler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/that-one-over-this-is-the-one-for-the-use-of-the-white-people-judge/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) ## More by Robin DiAngelo > [We whites who position ourselves as liberal often opt to protect what we perceive as our moral reputationsrather than recognize or change our participation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/we-whites-who-position-ourselves-as-liberal-often-opt-to-protect-what/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Denying that race matters is irrational in the face of segregation and all of the other forms of obvious racial inequity in society... Maintaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/denying-that-race-matters-is-irrational-in-the-face-of-segregation/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [White people are very wily when it comes to race. We will do everything that we can to get out from under the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/white-people-are-very-wily-when-it-comes-to-race-we-will-do/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [This is what I have learned: Any white person living in the United States will develop opinions about race simply by swimming in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/this-is-what-i-have-learned-any-white-person-living-in-the-united/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Most white people cannot answer the question, 'What does it mean to be white?' with any depth or complexity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/most-white-people-cannot-answer-the-question-what-does-it-mean-to-be/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [A fundamental but very challenging part of my work is moving white people from an individual understanding of racism - i.e. only some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/a-fundamental-but-very-challenging-part-of-my-work-is-moving-white/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [For a lot of white people, just suggesting that being white has meaning will trigger a deep, defensive response. And that defensiveness serves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/for-a-lot-of-white-people-just-suggesting-that-being-white-has/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Whites often respond defensively when linked to other whites as a group or 'accused' of collectively benefiting from racism, because as individuals, each white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/whites-often-respond-defensively-when-linked-to-other-whites-as-a/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [As a social concept, 'white' is profound in its meaning. It means people who either come from or appear to come from Europe, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/as-a-social-concept-white-is-profound-in-its-meaning-it-means-people/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [This is one of the most effective adaptations of racism over time - that we can think of racism as only something that individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/this-is-one-of-the-most-effective-adaptations-of-racism-over-time/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Like a nontechnical user trying to understand a technical problem, our racial illiteracy limits our ability to have meaningful conversations about race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/like-a-nontechnical-user-trying-to-understand-a-technical-problem-our/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Human beings can only make sense of the world through the lens they were socialized to make sense of it through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/human-beings-can-only-make-sense-of-the-world-through-the-lens-they/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/white-people-in-north-america-live-in-a-social-environment-that/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [“It has taken me many years of intensive study and practice to be able to recognize and articulate how I am shaped by being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/it-has-taken-me-many-years-of-intensive-study-and-practice-to-be-able/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [White consciousness is deeply anti-black, and that's for progressives and conservatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/white-consciousness-is-deeply-anti-black-and-that-s-for-progressives/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) [Explore all 67 Robin DiAngelo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) [Thomas Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-miller/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the U.S., while individual whites might be against racism, they still benefit from their group's control. Yes, an individual person of color can sit at the tables of power, but the overwhelming majority of decision-makers will be white. 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