--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jesus was not born in a manger in central…" description: "\"Jesus was not born in a manger in central Pennsylvania. He was a man of color. And the fact that we have represented him for centuries literally as a w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/tim-wise-14074_born_jesus-was-not-born-in-a-manger-in-centra_3040876.jpg" --- # Jesus was not born in a manger in central Pennsylvania. He… ![“Jesus was not born in a manger in central Pennsylvania. He was a man of color. And the fact that we have represented him for centuries literally as a white man speaks to the entire history of white supremacy.” quote by Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/tim-wise-14074_born_jesus-was-not-born-in-a-manger-in-centra_3040876.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/tim-wise-14074_born_jesus-was-not-born-in-a-manger-in-centra_3040876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/tim-wise-14074_born_jesus-was-not-born-in-a-manger-in-centra_3040876.jpg) > “Jesus was not born in a manger in central Pennsylvania. He was a man of color. And the fact that we have represented him for centuries literally as a white man speaks to the entire history of white supremacy.” [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement challenges the traditional white depiction of Jesus, highlighting racial bias and its role in perpetuating white supremacy. **In simple terms:** Jesus is portrayed as white, reinforcing racism. Key Takeaway Recognize and correct racial misrepresentations. Themes race history representation Mood critical reflective Type social political When to use this quote - education curricula - media portrayal - church teachings Key Concepts white supremacy iconography colonialism Questions to Reflect On - What impact does visual representation have on belief? - How can diverse portrayals reshape cultural narratives? A Different Perspective Changing images alone won’t dismantle systemic bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-born/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Pennsylvania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pennsylvania/) [Supremacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supremacy/) [White supremacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-supremacy/) ## Related quotes > [We have a long, ugly history of white supremacy in this country, ranging from Jim Crow laws to keep African Americans down to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/we-have-a-long-ugly-history-of-white-supremacy-in-this-country/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [The system of white supremacy is intended to make folks of color doubt themselves, their intelligence, their abilities, their very sanity. And so it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/the-system-of-white-supremacy-is-intended-to-make-folks-of-color/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I've been spending a fair amount of time in the recesses of white nationalist, white supremacist social media online areas, what called itself is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/i-ve-been-spending-a-fair-amount-of-time-in-the-recesses-of-white/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [White supremacy is a very, very popular and trenchant belief in this country's history and heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/white-supremacy-is-a-very-very-popular-and-trenchant-belief-in-this/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [When white supremacy becomes institutional, it begins to harm the very people who are not simply outside of it because of their race, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/when-white-supremacy-becomes-institutional-it-begins-to-harm-the-very/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [You can be addicted to White Supremacy and all of the benefits, you can be addicted to male privilege and all of the benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-parker/you-can-be-addicted-to-white-supremacy-and-all-of-the-benefits-you/) [Nate Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-parker/) > [I am deeply worried about Donald Trump on matters of national security. He doesn't know anything himself about it, and he has appointed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/i-am-deeply-worried-about-donald-trump-on-matters-of-national/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [White people who voted for Trump decided to invest in a president who underwrites white supremacy in the guise of populism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/white-people-who-voted-for-trump-decided-to-invest-in-a-president-who/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [I became an anti-fascist, and the more I saw what was happening to the peoples of Europe, the Jews, the more I saw the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-became-an-anti-fascist-and-the-more-i-saw-what-was-happening-to-the/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [The more divided people of color are in a system of white supremacy/privilege, the weaker they will be, both individually and collectively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tebow/the-more-divided-people-of-color-are-in-a-system-of-white-supremacy/) [Tim Tebow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tebow/) > [That's unfortunately common - to blame immigrants, to blame the African-Americans who are being helped by federal programs, to blame anyone available, to direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/that-s-unfortunately-common-to-blame-immigrants-to-blame-the-african/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I mean, we're not talking about simply racism, we're taking about white supremacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/i-mean-we-re-not-talking-about-simply-racism-we-re-taking-about-white/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. 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The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Progress is always relative: to the oppressed, it can only be viewed as an all or nothing deal - if oppression continues, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/progress-is-always-relative-to-the-oppressed-it-can-only-be-viewed-as/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I don't think the job of the antiracist is to convert the far-out heathen racist, or give them their 'come to Jesus' moment, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/i-don-t-think-the-job-of-the-antiracist-is-to-convert-the-far-out/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [And in "Elbow Room" the cast sings the glories of westward expansion in the United States, which involved the murder of native peoples and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/and-in-elbow-room-the-cast-sings-the-glories-of-westward-expansion-in/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [If we dont figure out a way to create equity, real equity, of opportunity and access, to good schools, housing, health care, and decent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/if-we-dont-figure-out-a-way-to-create-equity-real-equity-of/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [So, in "Melting Pot" the children (about a third of whom were kids of color) sang the line, "America was the new world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/so-in-melting-pot-the-children-about-a-third-of-whom-were-kids-of/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Hardly any aspect of my life, from where I had lived to my education to my employment history to my friendships, had been free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/hardly-any-aspect-of-my-life-from-where-i-had-lived-to-my-education/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [People of color have to do this work as a mater of everyday survival. And so long as they have to, who am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/people-of-color-have-to-do-this-work-as-a-mater-of-everyday-survival/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [You can't organize people if you don't love them. 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