--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Racism has two primary functions: the…" description: "\"Racism has two primary functions: the oppression of people of color, which most people recognize, but also the simultaneous elevation of white people. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg" --- # Racism has two primary functions: the oppression of people… ![“Racism has two primary functions: the oppression of people of color, which most people recognize, but also the simultaneous elevation of white people. You can't hold one group down without lifting the other up.” quote by Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg) > “Racism has two primary functions: the oppression of people of color, which most people recognize, but also the simultaneous elevation of white people. You can't hold one group down without lifting the other up.” [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. Racism both oppresses people of color and privileges white people, creating a dependent hierarchy. **In simple terms:** Racism oppresses and lifts. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge systemic advantage. Themes racism power privilege inequality Mood critical reflective Type analytical social commentary When to use this quote - education reform - policy advocacy - community dialogue - personal reflection Key Concepts systemic oppression social hierarchy white fragility Questions to Reflect On - How does privilege sustain oppression? - What actions can disrupt this dynamic? A Different Perspective Addressing one side without the other fails to dismantle the system. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Color People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color-people-393528/) [Elevation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevation/) [Functions Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functions-oppression-3614631/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Oppression People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression-people-2209555/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Primary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-primary-3614632/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [Racism is a primary source of evil designed to destroy good men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/racism-is-a-primary-source-of-evil-designed-to-destroy-good-men/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) > [An enthusiast broods over the oppression of a people till he fancies himself commissioned by Heaven to liberate them. He ventures the attempt, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-haven-putnam/an-enthusiast-broods-over-the-oppression-of-a-people-till-he-fancies/) [George Haven Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-haven-putnam/) > [Where constraint breaks people, and mediation makes fools of them, the seduction of power is what makes them love their oppression. Because of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-vaneigem/where-constraint-breaks-people-and-mediation-makes-fools-of-them-the/) [Raoul Vaneigem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-vaneigem/) > [The clergy, no less than the capitalist class, lives on the backs of the people, profits from the degradation, the ignorance and the oppression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-luxemburg/the-clergy-no-less-than-the-capitalist-class-lives-on-the-backs-of/) [Rosa Luxemburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-luxemburg/) > [The oppression of any people for opinion's sake has rarely had any other effect than to fix those opinions deeper, and render them more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/the-oppression-of-any-people-for-opinion-s-sake-has-rarely-had-any/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [The more that I learn about what's going on, it's really hard to ignore the oppression that people are actually going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/the-more-that-i-learn-about-what-s-going-on-it-s-really-hard-to/) [Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/) > [Southern white people despise the Negro as a race, and will do nothing to aid in his elevation as such; but for certain individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/southern-white-people-despise-the-negro-as-a-race-and-will-do-nothing/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [“I used to think there were two kinds of Crayola artists: Ones who color inside the lines and ones who don’t stay within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-l-johnson/i-used-to-think-there-were-two-kinds-of-crayola-artists-ones-who/) [Amber L. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-l-johnson/) > [The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-great-virtue-of-a-free-market-system-is-that-it-does-not-care/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Don't you know sugar is brown first? White folks couldn't stand the fact that something so sweet shared the same color as the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-you-know-sugar-is-brown-first-white-folks-couldn-t-stand-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I use color, people say, "Oh he's Indian, that's why he's using color!" Perhaps this is true, Indians aren't scared of color, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manish-arora/when-i-use-color-people-say-oh-he-s-indian-that-s-why-he-s-using/) [Manish Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manish-arora/) > [Some people remember me for my color; some people remember me as a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-max/some-people-remember-me-for-my-color-some-people-remember-me-as-a/) [Peter Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-max/) > [I get a lot of questions about hair color. People are very into talking about hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-get-a-lot-of-questions-about-hair-color-people-are-very-into/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [If one says 'Red' – the name of color – and there are fifty people listening, it can be expected that there will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/if-one-says-red-the-name-of-color-and-there-are-fifty-people/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [The fact is that in too many parts of our country, we still have discrimination. And affirmative action is not just something that applies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/the-fact-is-that-in-too-many-parts-of-our-country-we-still-have/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) ## 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 Elevation quotes > [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [Fasting is not bodily hunger but bodily elevation and purity. It is not a body that hungers and longs for food, but a body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-shenouda-iii-of-alexandria/fasting-is-not-bodily-hunger-but-bodily-elevation-and-purity-it-is/) [Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-shenouda-iii-of-alexandria/) > [Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/literature-is-well-enough-as-a-time-passer-and-for-the-improvement/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I think space, architectural space, is my thing. It's not about facade, elevation, making image, making money. My passion is creating space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-think-space-architectural-space-is-my-thing-it-s-not-about-facade/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a noble profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-am-deeply-interested-in-the-progress-and-elevation-of-journalism/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [“Everyone cannot elevate or even revelate at the same time and/or season; an appointment to elevation can result from being specially chosen...like fruit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/everyone-cannot-elevate-or-even-revelate-at-the-same-time-and-or/) [Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/) > [The discipline of suffering, of great suffering - do you not know that it is this discipline alone that has produced all the elevations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-discipline-of-suffering-of-great-suffering-do-you-not-know-that/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The thing that strikes you most about being a soldier in a war zone and in action to the small extent that I was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/the-thing-that-strikes-you-most-about-being-a-soldier-in-a-war-zone/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“I like anything that is thought provoking and elevates one's consciousness to the highest and out of it's safety net, making one breathe aspiration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-remes/i-like-anything-that-is-thought-provoking-and-elevates-one-s/) [Petra Remes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-remes/) > [Up there on Huckleberry Mountain, I couldn't sleep ... As the sky broke light over the peaks of Glacier, I found myself deeply moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kittredge/up-there-on-huckleberry-mountain-i-couldn-t-sleep-as-the-sky-broke/) [William Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kittredge/) > [What is the elevation of the soul? A prompt, delicate, certain feeling for all that is beautiful, all that is grand; a quick resolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/what-is-the-elevation-of-the-soul-a-prompt-delicate-certain-feeling/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [All moral elevation consists first and foremost of being weaned from the momentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/all-moral-elevation-consists-first-and-foremost-of-being-weaned-from/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Men cannot be raised in masses as the mountains were in he early geological states of the world. They must be dealt with as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/men-cannot-be-raised-in-masses-as-the-mountains-were-in-he-early/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Politics of all sorts, I confess, are far beyond my limited powers of comprehension. Those of this country as far as I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/politics-of-all-sorts-i-confess-are-far-beyond-my-limited-powers-of/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) [Browse all 165 Elevation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Racism has two primary functions: the oppression of people of color, which most people recognize, but also the simultaneous elevation of white people. You can't hold one group down without lifting the other up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robin DiAngelo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-oppression-of-people-of-color/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elevation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-oppression-of-people-of-color/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/robin-diangelo-10183_elevation_racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-opp_1202921.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Racism has two primary functions: the oppression of people of color, which most people recognize, but also…” — Robin DiAngelo", "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": "Robin DiAngelo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Racism has two primary functions: the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-oppression-of-people-of-color/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/racism-has-two-primary-functions-the-oppression-of-people-of-color/#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 } } ] } ```