--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not antiwhite, because I understand…" description: "\"I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their time and place..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png" --- # I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white… ![“I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their time and place.” quote by Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png) > “I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their time and place.” [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that prejudice is a systemic issue affecting all races, and that white individuals are also shaped by and suffer under societal racism. **In simple terms:** Racism harms everyone, not just minorities. Key Takeaway Racism is a shared societal problem. Themes racism systemic oppression intersectionality social conditioning historical context Mood thoughtful critical empathetic Type observational analytical When to use this quote - discussions on race relations - diversity training - policy debates - educational curricula - community dialogues Key Concepts social structures bias identity power dynamics Practical Applications - anti‑racism education - inclusive policy design Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging white experiences change anti‑racism strategies? - What responsibilities arise from recognizing systemic oppression? A Different Perspective Some argue that focusing on white victimhood distracts from addressing historic advantages and ongoing inequities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [Myself, my little brother and my cousins have all been victims of racist police or prejudice, getting pulled over in a car and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-levert/myself-my-little-brother-and-my-cousins-have-all-been-victims-of/) [Caris LeVert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-levert/) > [A people who have suffered so much for so long at the hands of a racist society must draw the line somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/a-people-who-have-suffered-so-much-for-so-long-at-the-hands-of-a/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [There's no more denying it, or saying we live in a post-racist society. All you have to do is turn on the TV and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/there-s-no-more-denying-it-or-saying-we-live-in-a-post-racist-society/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I used to be a discipline problem, which caused me embarrassment until I realized that being a discipline problem in a racist society is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-used-to-be-a-discipline-problem-which-caused-me-embarrassment-until/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [But, on the other hand, I get bored with racism too and recognize that there are still many things to be said about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/but-on-the-other-hand-i-get-bored-with-racism-too-and-recognize-that/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [To even envision a post-racist society is contingent upon understanding the offensive, dense, and wildly contradictory nature of our racist past and present. Racechanges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-pemberton/to-even-envision-a-post-racist-society-is-contingent-upon/) Gayle Pemberton > [You are not born racist. You are born into a racist society. And like anything else, if you can learn it, you can unlearn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-elliott/you-are-not-born-racist-you-are-born-into-a-racist-society-and-like/) [Jane Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-elliott/) > [“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-y-davis/in-a-racist-society-it-is-not-enough-to-be-non-racist-we-must-be-anti/) [Angela Y. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-y-davis/) > [America is a former slave state and a blatantly racist society, so the war on drugs, which is managed by white supremacists, was and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/america-is-a-former-slave-state-and-a-blatantly-racist-society-so-the/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [A people who have suffered so much for so long at hands of a racist society must draw the line somewhere… the black communities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/a-people-who-have-suffered-so-much-for-so-long-at-hands-of-a-racist/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [The white man is not inherently evil, but America's racist society influences him to act evilly. The society has produced and nourishes a psychology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-white-man-is-not-inherently-evil-but-america-s-racist-society/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“The belief in the power of "institutional racism" allows black civil rights leaders to denounce America as a "racist" society, when it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-belief-in-the-power-of-institutional-racism-allows-black-civil/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [I struggle with the racist issue in football because as a player I don't see it. That's not because I've got my head in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/i-struggle-with-the-racist-issue-in-football-because-as-a-player-i/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [In America, racism exists but racists are all gone. Racists belong to the past. Racists are the thin-lipped mean white people in the movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/in-america-racism-exists-but-racists-are-all-gone-racists-belong-to/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [This president (Barack Obama) I think has exposed himself over and over and over again as a guy who has a deep-seated hatred for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/this-president-barack-obama-i-think-has-exposed-himself-over-and-over/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) ## More by Shirley Chisholm > [It is obvious that discrimination exists. Women do not have the opportunities that men do. And women that do not conform to the system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-obvious-that-discrimination-exists-women-do-not-have-the/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [Legal discrimination between the sexes is, in almost every instance, founded on outmoded views of society and the pre-scientific beliefs about psychology and physiology.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/legal-discrimination-between-the-sexes-is-in-almost-every-instance/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/tremendous-amounts-of-talent-are-lost-to-our-society-just-because/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [I love America not for what she is, but for what she can become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-love-america-not-for-what-she-is-but-for-what-she-can-become/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [I am and always will be a catalyst for change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-and-always-will-be-a-catalyst-for-change/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [The liberals in the House strongly resemble liberals I have known through the last two decades in the civil rights conflict. When it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-liberals-in-the-house-strongly-resemble-liberals-i-have-known/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: It's a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-emotional-sexual-and-psychological-stereotyping-of-females-begins/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [I had met far more discrimination because I am a woman than because I am black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-had-met-far-more-discrimination-because-i-am-a-woman-than-because-i/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [Some fine men are in Congress, too few, trying to do a responsible job. But they are surrounded and almost neutralized by a greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/some-fine-men-are-in-congress-too-few-trying-to-do-a-responsible-job/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [“Following along the path of her role models, Shirley knew that if she waited for permission, she’d never receive her turn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/following-along-the-path-of-her-role-models-shirley-knew-that-if-she/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [I ran because somebody had to do it first. In this country, everybody is supposed to be able to run for president, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-ran-because-somebody-had-to-do-it-first-in-this-country-everybody/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [“The most tragic error into which older people can fall is one that is common among educators and politicians. It is to use youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-most-tragic-error-into-which-older-people-can-fall-is-one-that-is/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [I have never cared too much what people say. What I am interested in is what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-have-never-cared-too-much-what-people-say-what-i-am-interested-in/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [I am the people's politician. If the day should ever come when the people can't save me, I'll know I'm finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-the-people-s-politician-if-the-day-should-ever-come-when-the/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) [Explore all 103 Shirley Chisholm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their time and place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Chisholm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand-that-white-people-like-black/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand-that-white-people-like-black/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/shirley-chisholm-5073_black_i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand_83025.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist…” — Shirley Chisholm", "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": "Shirley Chisholm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am not antiwhite, because I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand-that-white-people-like-black/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand-that-white-people-like-black/#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 } } ] } ```