--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't want to give the white reader an…" description: "\"I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already a central barrier in addressing the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg" --- # I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to… ![“I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already a central barrier in addressing the problem.” quote by Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg) > “I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already a central barrier in addressing the problem.” [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author denies white readers a chance to dismiss racism as imagined, confronting denial. **In simple terms:** Prevent denial of racism by confronting readers. Key Takeaway Challenge readers to acknowledge racism’s reality. Themes racism denial accountability education social justice Mood urgent determined Type activist persuasive When to use this quote - diversity training - social justice workshops - literary analysis - policy discussions Key Concepts Critical race theory authorial intent public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we discuss racism without alienating audiences? - What strategies foster constructive dialogue? A Different Perspective Some may view the approach as confrontational, reducing openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Institutionalized racism is an imaginary enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/institutionalized-racism-is-an-imaginary-enemy/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) > [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [Some people think racism is if you say the n-word, so homophobia is if you call someone...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-parker/some-people-think-racism-is-if-you-say-the-n-word-so-homophobia-is-if/) [Nate Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-parker/) > [“When we think of racism we think of Governor Wallace of Alabama blocking the schoolhouse door; we think of water hoses, lynchings, racial epithets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/when-we-think-of-racism-we-think-of-governor-wallace-of-alabama/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [I think racism is something that is passed on and taught to our kids, and that's a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-think-racism-is-something-that-is-passed-on-and-taught-to-our-kids/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [I think that there's more jealousy in sports than racism, really. I think racism exists in the works, but when I faced racism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-k-subban/i-think-that-there-s-more-jealousy-in-sports-than-racism-really-i/) [P.K. Subban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-k-subban/) > [I think that's part of the U.K. There's racism, but it's very hush racism, right? It's not like in America; there's blatant racism sometimes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-edwards/i-think-that-s-part-of-the-u-k-there-s-racism-but-it-s-very-hush/) [Leon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-edwards/) > [Of all the ways people save time, I think racism is the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/of-all-the-ways-people-save-time-i-think-racism-is-the-worst/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I think that racism is ugly and so unfair, and I believe that we all need one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-think-that-racism-is-ugly-and-so-unfair-and-i-believe-that-we-all/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [This is one of the most effective adaptations of racism over time - that we can think of racism as only something that individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/this-is-one-of-the-most-effective-adaptations-of-racism-over-time/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [Mainstream Canadians, what some might call the dominant culture, like to think this racism doesn't happen. 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In the folk theory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-h-hill/the-second-part-of-the-folk-theory-holds-that-racism-is-entirely-a/) Jane H. Hill > [If we want to think about racism and how it might play out in drug policy, we have to think about the trial of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/if-we-want-to-think-about-racism-and-how-it-might-play-out-in-drug/) [Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/) ## More by Vivek Shraya > [I am more likely to get paid for my art if it's presented alongside a white artist, so the questions around value and agency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-am-more-likely-to-get-paid-for-my-art-if-it-s-presented-alongside-a/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from the radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-used-singing-as-a-safety-measure-i-would-pay-attention-to-what/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/my-intention-was-never-to-write-a-trans-novel-which-is-perhaps-an/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I especially worry about the ways Canadians can be glib about our supposed difference from the US in our "acceptance" of "diversity."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-especially-worry-about-the-ways-canadians-can-be-glib-about-our/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [My art career often feels less like an art career and more like a career in educating, usually by using my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/my-art-career-often-feels-less-like-an-art-career-and-more-like-a/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Children's books have great potential to reveal new possibilities to readers, because the intended audience is at an age of genuine learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/children-s-books-have-great-potential-to-reveal-new-possibilities-to/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I continue to explore poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-continue-to-explore-poetry/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I tend to focus less on genre as a starting point and more on idea or intention and let the idea dictate genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-tend-to-focus-less-on-genre-as-a-starting-point-and-more-on-idea-or/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Despite the fact that I'm not highly skilled in any visual art, aesthetics have always played a strong role in my art, including my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/despite-the-fact-that-i-m-not-highly-skilled-in-any-visual-art/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [As a person of color, I know race can't be stripped from admiration or preference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/as-a-person-of-color-i-know-race-can-t-be-stripped-from-admiration-or/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [It's exciting to consider how art, in its ability to reveal, can be ahead of the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/it-s-exciting-to-consider-how-art-in-its-ability-to-reveal-can-be/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [In my thirties, I have felt a greater urgency to make art that highlights what it feels like to be racialized, likely due to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/in-my-thirties-i-have-felt-a-greater-urgency-to-make-art-that/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Should I be collaborating with artists of color solely because of their race and my politics? This question is weighted with my own worry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/should-i-be-collaborating-with-artists-of-color-solely-because-of/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I think white artists have a responsibility to be not only naming white supremacy, but to be using their power and privilege to support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-think-white-artists-have-a-responsibility-to-be-not-only-naming/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Writing about racism requires a directness that writing a love story does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/writing-about-racism-requires-a-directness-that-writing-a-love-story/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) [Explore all 45 Vivek Shraya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) ## More Barriers quotes > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The gear you can't afford is not the barrier keeping you from success. Gear has very little to do with photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-jarvis/the-gear-you-can-t-afford-is-not-the-barrier-keeping-you-from-success/) [Chase Jarvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-jarvis/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [Security is a component of everyday life that one spending time in Washington, D.C., gets accustomed to. Metal detectors, police vehicle barriers and heavily-armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-crapo/security-is-a-component-of-everyday-life-that-one-spending-time-in/) [Mike Crapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-crapo/) > [The biggest obstacles to our progress exist within our own lives in the form of cowardice and the tendency to give up. Breaking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/the-biggest-obstacles-to-our-progress-exist-within-our-own-lives-in/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [I feel that there are a few things in the world without cultural barriers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/i-feel-that-there-are-a-few-things-in-the-world-without-cultural/) [Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/) > [English literature is a glorious inheritance which is open to all - there are no barriers, no coupons, and no restrictions. In the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/english-literature-is-a-glorious-inheritance-which-is-open-to-all/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Friendship embraces innumerable ends; turn where you will it is ever at your side; no barrier shuts it out; it is never untimely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/friendship-embraces-innumerable-ends-turn-where-you-will-it-is-ever/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I've cosponsored legislation to establish a lend-lease program to simplify bureaucratic barriers and allow a speedier transfer of U.S. military equipment to Ukraine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/i-ve-cosponsored-legislation-to-establish-a-lend-lease-program-to/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [Don't be afraid of what you want. This is your time. The barriers are down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/don-t-be-afraid-of-what-you-want-this-is-your-time-the-barriers-are/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [Fear is the single biggest barrier to creativity. Unless we're brave enough to risk looking foolish, we'll inevitably find ourselves sticking to the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/fear-is-the-single-biggest-barrier-to-creativity-unless-we-re-brave/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [He looked at my lips. I suddenly found myself wanting to lick his. 'Yes,' he replied, his eyes going molten. My breath caught in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-macalister/he-looked-at-my-lips-i-suddenly-found-myself-wanting-to-lick-his-yes/) [Katie MacAlister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-macalister/) > [What do you have to surrender? A drop has to dissolve into the ocean to become the ocean. 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Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-w-johnson/) [Browse all 1,191 Barriers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already a central barrier in addressing the problem.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vivek Shraya" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-an-opportunity-to-think-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barriers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-an-opportunity-to-think-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/vivek-shraya-14683_barriers_i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-a_1707020.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is…” — Vivek Shraya", "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": "Vivek Shraya", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I didn't want to give the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-an-opportunity-to-think-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-didn-t-want-to-give-the-white-reader-an-opportunity-to-think-of/#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 } } ] } ```