--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the Kerner Commission told white…" description: "\"When the Kerner Commission told white America what black America has always known, that prejudice and hatred built the nation’s slums, maintains them a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/shirley-chisholm-5073_america_when-the-kerner-commission-told-white-am_1061238.png" --- # When the Kerner Commission told white America what black… ![“When the Kerner Commission told white America what black America has always known, that prejudice and hatred built the nation’s slums, maintains them and profits by them, white America could not believe it. But it is true. Unless we start to fight and defeat the enemies in our own country, poverty…” quote by Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/shirley-chisholm-5073_america_when-the-kerner-commission-told-white-am_1061238.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/shirley-chisholm-5073_america_when-the-kerner-commission-told-white-am_1061238.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/shirley-chisholm-5073_america_when-the-kerner-commission-told-white-am_1061238.png) > “When the Kerner Commission told white America what black America has always known, that prejudice and hatred built the nation’s slums, maintains them and profits by them, white America could not believe it. But it is true. Unless we start to fight and defeat the enemies in our own country, poverty and racism, and make our talk of equality and opportunity ring true, we are exposed in the eyes of the world as hypocrites when we talk about making people free - (Chapter 9).” [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 quote highlights the denial of systemic racism by those who benefit from it and calls for confronting domestic enemies of poverty and racism. **In simple terms:** White America denies racism; we must confront it. Key Takeaway Confront domestic racism and poverty. Themes racism poverty hypocrisy social justice accountability Mood determined urgent reflective Type political activist critical When to use this quote - policy reform - community organizing - education - media narratives - political advocacy Key Concepts systemic oppression white privilege economic exploitation Questions to Reflect On - How can we turn acknowledgment into action? - What policies can dismantle systemic racism? A Different Perspective Change requires confronting entrenched interests and resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Black america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-america/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Hypocrite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrite/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Slums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slums/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Unless we start to fight and defeat the enemies in our own country, poverty and racism, and make our talk of equality and opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/unless-we-start-to-fight-and-defeat-the-enemies-in-our-own-country/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [It's just cheaper to be White in America than it is to be Black, because of educational advances, because of the police incidents, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ballentine/it-s-just-cheaper-to-be-white-in-america-than-it-is-to-be-black/) Warren Ballentine > [I started a lecture series that was inspired by my reporting on race in America. The 'Black in America' series launched on CNN in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/i-started-a-lecture-series-that-was-inspired-by-my-reporting-on-race/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [I think there's a sort of, you know, very thin way of reading this that says, well, Barack Obama is biracial thus that gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-there-s-a-sort-of-you-know-very-thin-way-of-reading-this-that/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [It is not the destiny of Black America to repeat white America's mistakes. But we will, if we mistake the trappings of success in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/it-is-not-the-destiny-of-black-america-to-repeat-white-america-s/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [There is not a black America and a white America; a Latino America, an Asian America. There is the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-is-not-a-black-america-and-a-white-america-a-latino-america-an/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Black America now has the power to achieve economic inclusion, which we rightfully deserve because we built this country. This is a conversation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-allen/black-america-now-has-the-power-to-achieve-economic-inclusion-which/) [Byron Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-allen/) > [When is black America going to forgive white America for slavery?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/when-is-black-america-going-to-forgive-white-america-for-slavery/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [White America is tortured by black America's failure to thrive, and all that guilt and anxiety has only gotten worse as a substantial quota…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/white-america-is-tortured-by-black-america-s-failure-to-thrive-and/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [It's not anything that is just perpetuated by White America or just perpetuated by Black America. It's just a cultural understanding that you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-s-not-anything-that-is-just-perpetuated-by-white-america-or-just/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [Of all the cants which are canted in this canting world - though the cant of hypocrites may be the worst - the cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/of-all-the-cants-which-are-canted-in-this-canting-world-though-the/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [There are no perfect women in the world; only hypocrites exhibit no defects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninon-de-l-enclos/there-are-no-perfect-women-in-the-world-only-hypocrites-exhibit-no/) [Ninon de L'Enclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninon-de-l-enclos/) > [Poverty. Racism. Isn't it strange, only the homeless are begging for change?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/poverty-racism-isn-t-it-strange-only-the-homeless-are-begging-for/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-parks/i-saw-that-the-camera-could-be-a-weapon-against-poverty-against/) [Gordon Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-parks/) > [The camera could be a very powerful instrument against discrimination, against poverty, against racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-parks/the-camera-could-be-a-very-powerful-instrument-against-discrimination/) [Gordon Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-parks/) ## 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/) > [I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand-that-white-people-like-black/) [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/) [Explore all 103 Shirley Chisholm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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