--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has come as a great revelation to me…" description: "\"“It has come as a great revelation to me that abolitionist is different from the desire for racial equality. Color prejudice is at the bottom of everyt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/sue-monk-kidd-404_abolitionist_it-has-come-as-a-great-revelation-to-me_2081247.png" --- # It has come as a great revelation to me that abolitionist… ![“It has come as a great revelation to me that abolitionist is different from the desire for racial equality. Color prejudice is at the bottom of everything. If it's not fixed, the plight of the Negro will continue long after abolition.” quote by Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/sue-monk-kidd-404_abolitionist_it-has-come-as-a-great-revelation-to-me_2081247.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/sue-monk-kidd-404_abolitionist_it-has-come-as-a-great-revelation-to-me_2081247.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/sue-monk-kidd-404_abolitionist_it-has-come-as-a-great-revelation-to-me_2081247.png) > ““It has come as a great revelation to me that abolitionist is different from the desire for racial equality. Color prejudice is at the bottom of everything. If it's not fixed, the plight of the Negro will continue long after abolition.”” [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## 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 distinguishes abolition from true racial equality, noting deep‑seated color prejudice as the root cause of ongoing Black oppression. **In simple terms:** Abolition alone doesn't end racism; prejudice remains the core problem. Key Takeaway Address prejudice, not just legal change. Themes racial justice equality prejudice historical context Mood reflective serious Type political social commentary When to use this quote - education reform - policy advocacy - community dialogue - personal reflection Key Concepts systemic racism social reform civil rights Questions to Reflect On - How can societies confront underlying prejudice? - What actions beyond law can promote true equality? A Different Perspective Legal freedom without confronting bias leaves inequality intact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolitionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionist/) [Racial equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-equality/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [“It has come as a great revelation to me,” I wrote her, “that abolition is different from the desire for racial equality. Color prejudice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-has-come-as-a-great-revelation-to-me-i-wrote-her-that-abolition-is/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Color prejudice is at the bottom of everything. If it’s not fixed, the plight of the Negro will continue long after abolition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/color-prejudice-is-at-the-bottom-of-everything-if-it-s-not-fixed-the/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“(The essence of the irony of the plight of the Negro in America, to me, is that he is doomed to live in isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wright/the-essence-of-the-irony-of-the-plight-of-the-negro-in-america-to-me/) [Richard Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wright/) > [“It is not enough for the Negroes to declare that color-prejudice is the sole cause of their social condition, nor for the white South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/it-is-not-enough-for-the-negroes-to-declare-that-color-prejudice-is/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [Color prejudice and religion are akin in one respect. Some folks have it and some don't, and the kernel that is responsible for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-thurman/color-prejudice-and-religion-are-akin-in-one-respect-some-folks-have/) [Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) > [“Again, we may decry the color-prejudice of the South, yet it remains a heavy fact. Such curious kinks of the human mind exist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/again-we-may-decry-the-color-prejudice-of-the-south-yet-it-remains-a/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [I can't explain exactly why it lives within me for so long and passionately. But race matters to me; racial equality matters to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-can-t-explain-exactly-why-it-lives-within-me-for-so-long-and/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Along with racial equality and the late bloom of women's rights, future generations will have to explain how, in the past, gays were misunderstood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/along-with-racial-equality-and-the-late-bloom-of-women-s-rights/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [“When you truly believe that the racial groups are equal, then you also believe that racial disparities must be the result of racial discrimination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibram-x-kendi/when-you-truly-believe-that-the-racial-groups-are-equal-then-you-also/) [Ibram X. Kendi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibram-x-kendi/) > [In '42,' it's like the '40s where racial equality had come into the consciousness of a lot of people, whereas in the 1900s it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/in-42-it-s-like-the-40s-where-racial-equality-had-come-into-the/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [“Shadows of Hope In the quiet neighborhood of Saint-Michel, nestled within the vibrant city of Montreal, lived Maria, a single mother of two. Maria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michella-augusta/shadows-of-hope-in-the-quiet-neighborhood-of-saint-michel-nestled/) [Michella Augusta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michella-augusta/) > [“The House adjourned without voting on the bill, but the following year a similar bill—mandating equality in hotels and restaurants open to the public,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands-2/the-house-adjourned-without-voting-on-the-bill-but-the-following-year/) [H.W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands-2/) > [You can't expect to go about change - especially change of this nature, when you talk about racial equality and justice - you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/you-can-t-expect-to-go-about-change-especially-change-of-this-nature/) [Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/) > [If I can mean to people - if I can symbolize the ability to pursue gender equality, racial equality, and to be truthful about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-hill/if-i-can-mean-to-people-if-i-can-symbolize-the-ability-to-pursue/) [Anita Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-hill/) > [Throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/throughout-history-islam-has-demonstrated-through-words-and-deeds-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Sue Monk Kidd > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“It's part of our overall Body Negation Program.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-s-part-of-our-overall-body-negation-program/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“That was the thing mauma and I loved, our time with the quilts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/that-was-the-thing-mauma-and-i-loved-our-time-with-the-quilts/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The mermaids came to me finally, in the pink hours of my life. They are my consolation. For them I dove with arms outstretched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-mermaids-came-to-me-finally-in-the-pink-hours-of-my-life-they-are/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I eventually found that the soul is more than an immortal commodity to win and save. It is the repository of the inner divine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-eventually-found-that-the-soul-is-more-than-an-immortal-commodity/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Readiness for dying arrives by attending the smallest moment and finding the eternal inside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/readiness-for-dying-arrives-by-attending-the-smallest-moment-and/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-sat-at-her-desk-and-turned-one-page-after-another-staring-at-what/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“There's no pain on earth that doesn't require a benevolent witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-s-no-pain-on-earth-that-doesn-t-require-a-benevolent-witness/) [sue monk kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“afflicted with the worst female curse on earth, the need to mold myself to expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/afflicted-with-the-worst-female-curse-on-earth-the-need-to-mold/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Her forbidden bath all those months ago still hung leaden between us, though Handful didn't seem the least bit ashamed by my discovery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/her-forbidden-bath-all-those-months-ago-still-hung-leaden-between-us/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Why should God’s perfection be based on having an unchanging nature?” I asked. “Isn’t flexibility more perfect than stasis?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/why-should-god-s-perfection-be-based-on-having-an-unchanging-nature-i/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) [Explore all 584 Sue Monk Kidd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## More Abolitionist quotes > [Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; Thinking right is the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gridley-howe/nowhere-is-wisdom-more-necessary-than-in-the-guidance-of-charitable/) Samuel Gridley Howe > [“I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/i-am-aware-that-many-object-to-the-severity-of-my-language-but-is/) [William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/) > [“That was when I realized we weren’t born to be slaves. It was ignorant for any man to think he could be the master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-grewal/that-was-when-i-realized-we-weren-t-born-to-be-slaves-it-was-ignorant/) [Jay Grewal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-grewal/) > [I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies; for the truth is powerful and will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sojourner-truth/i-feel-safe-even-in-the-midst-of-my-enemies-for-the-truth-is-powerful/) [Sojourner Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sojourner-truth/) > [One of the songs that stayed in my head that I really considered a lot was an old folk song called 'John Brown' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/one-of-the-songs-that-stayed-in-my-head-that-i-really-considered-a/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Whether by the House or by the People, if an Abolitionist be chosen President of the United States, you will have presented to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/whether-by-the-house-or-by-the-people-if-an-abolitionist-be-chosen/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Many abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/many-abolitionists-have-yet-to-learn-the-abc-of-woman-s-rights/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [You point out that war is only a symptom of the whole horrid business of human behavior, and cannot be isolated. And that, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/you-point-out-that-war-is-only-a-symptom-of-the-whole-horrid-business/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [It’s time for a 21st-century abolitionist movement in the U.S and around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/it-s-time-for-a-21st-century-abolitionist-movement-in-the-u-s-and/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [If, while I hear the wild shriek of the slave mother robbed of her little ones, I do not open my mouth, am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-stone/if-while-i-hear-the-wild-shriek-of-the-slave-mother-robbed-of-her/) [Lucy Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-stone/) > [I was in favour of the death penalty, and disposed to regard abolitionists as people whose hearts were bigger than their heads. Four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gowers/i-was-in-favour-of-the-death-penalty-and-disposed-to-regard/) Ernest Gowers > [There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [In such a condition of affairs, the practical difference between the abolitionist and the sympathizer, to the man who lost his slave and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/in-such-a-condition-of-affairs-the-practical-difference-between-the/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [If I had to write down the most important people in the history of this planet, No.1 would be (abolitionist) John Brown. Why? Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/if-i-had-to-write-down-the-most-important-people-in-the-history-of/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“These men are all talk. What we need is action—action!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brown/these-men-are-all-talk-what-we-need-is-action-action/) [John Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brown/) [Browse all 90 Abolitionist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It has come as a great revelation to me that abolitionist is different from the desire for racial equality. Color prejudice is at the bottom of everything. 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