--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing people have to remember is…" description: "\"The thing people have to remember is there's nothing natural about racism as it exists in America. I mean, we know this historically. We can look at 16..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/ta-nehisi-coates-733_america_the-thing-people-have-to-remember-is-the_2785729.jpg" --- # The thing people have to remember is there's nothing… ![“The thing people have to remember is there's nothing natural about racism as it exists in America. I mean, we know this historically. We can look at 1619, when Africans first came here, and how early African slaves intermixed pretty indiscriminately with indentured white servants.” quote by Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/ta-nehisi-coates-733_america_the-thing-people-have-to-remember-is-the_2785729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/ta-nehisi-coates-733_america_the-thing-people-have-to-remember-is-the_2785729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/ta-nehisi-coates-733_america_the-thing-people-have-to-remember-is-the_2785729.jpg) > “The thing people have to remember is there's nothing natural about racism as it exists in America. I mean, we know this historically. We can look at 1619, when Africans first came here, and how early African slaves intermixed pretty indiscriminately with indentured white servants.” [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes that racism is a social construct, not a natural phenomenon, rooted in history. **In simple terms:** Racism is created by society, not innate. Key Takeaway Recognize racism as a learned system. Themes history racism social constructs Mood reflective serious Type academic political When to use this quote - education - policy making - social justice Key Concepts American history race relations colonialism Questions to Reflect On - How does historical context shape current racism? - What can be done to dismantle learned biases? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex modern dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-slaves-824998/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Natural Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-racism-3343034/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-exists-814579/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Slaves Intermixed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves-intermixed-3343035/) ## Related quotes > [“switched to slaves. From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, about 10 million African slaves were imported to America. About 70 per cent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/switched-to-slaves-from-the-sixteenth-to-the-nineteenth-centuries/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, about 10 million African slaves were imported to America. About 70 per cent of them worked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/from-the-sixteenth-to-the-nineteenth-centuries-about-10-million/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [ \[God brought African slaves to America\] so that their descendants would know freedom. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezola-b-foster/god-brought-african-slaves-to-america-so-that-their-descendants-would/) [Ezola B. 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