---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Racial discrimination against a white is…"
description: "\"Racial discrimination against a white is as unconstitutional as race discrimination against a black.\" — William O. Douglas"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg"
---

#  Racial discrimination against a white is as…

![“Racial discrimination against a white is as unconstitutional as race discrimination against a black.” quote by William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg)

> “Racial discrimination against a white is as unconstitutional as race discrimination against a black.”

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Discrimination is unjust regardless of the race of the target.

**In simple terms:** All race‑based discrimination is unconstitutional.

Key Takeaway

Treat everyone equally under the law.

Themes

equality civil rights justice

Mood

serious reflective

Type

legal political

When to use this quote

- court cases
- employment policies
- housing decisions
- education admissions

Key Concepts

Constitutional law civil liberties

Questions to Reflect On

- How would you address historical inequities while enforcing equal protection?
- What policies best balance formal equality with substantive outcomes?

A Different Perspective

May overlook systemic power imbalances that affect minority groups.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) [Discrimination White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination-white-839086/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-discrimination/) [Racial discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-discrimination/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Unconstitutional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconstitutional/) [Unconstitutional Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconstitutional-race-2334180/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Unconstitutional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-unconstitutional-2334179/)

## Related quotes

> [Racial discrimination in public education is unconstitutional…All provisions of federal, state or local law requiring or permitting such discrimination must yield to this principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-warren/racial-discrimination-in-public-education-is-unconstitutional-all/)

[Earl Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-warren/)

> [As the old African adage says, 'everybody skin to me ain't kin to me'. So you can't exclusively make that the criteria of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/as-the-old-african-adage-says-everybody-skin-to-me-ain-t-kin-to-me-so/)

[T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/)

> [In my world there's no room for hate or discrimination in the White House. I will be an outspoken voice against that every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-cortez-masto-2/in-my-world-there-s-no-room-for-hate-or-discrimination-in-the-white/)

[Catherine Cortez Masto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-cortez-masto-2/)

> [I'm guilty of reverse discrimination. I'm white, and people don't think that white fighters are any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-morrison/i-m-guilty-of-reverse-discrimination-i-m-white-and-people-don-t-think/)

[Tommy Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-morrison/)

> [Long before there was discrimination against blacks, there was discrimination against white southerners. When large numbers of these country people moved north during World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/long-before-there-was-discrimination-against-blacks-there-was/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [I conceived of myself in large part as a teacher. There wasn't a great understanding of gender discrimination. People knew that race discrimination was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/i-conceived-of-myself-in-large-part-as-a-teacher-there-wasn-t-a-great/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-hate-race-discrimination-most-intensely-and-in-all-its/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [The problem that we face as civil rights lawyers and advocates is that its extremely difficult to prove race discrimination because the Supreme Court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-problem-that-we-face-as-civil-rights-lawyers-and-advocates-is/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [ In an era when America is still too divided by race and by riches, Judge \[Samuel\] Alito has not written one single opinion on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/in-an-era-when-america-is-still-too-divided-by-race-and-by-riches/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [The Supreme Court has made it nearly impossible to prove race discrimination in the criminal justice system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-supreme-court-has-made-it-nearly-impossible-to-prove-race/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [The parallel between antifeminism and race prejudice is striking. The same underlying motives appear to be at work, namely fear, jealousy, feelings of insecurity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/the-parallel-between-antifeminism-and-race-prejudice-is-striking-the/)

[Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/)

> [“Darwinism met with such overwhelming success because it provided, on the basis of inheritance, the ideological weapons for race and well as class rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/darwinism-met-with-such-overwhelming-success-because-it-provided-on/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“Corporate Responsibility; Environmental Preservation; Consumer Protection; Sex &amp; Race Discrimination (they must mean Sex and Race Liberation ).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/corporate-responsibility-environmental-preservation-consumer/)

[John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/)

> [“Although it is common to think of Jim Crow as an explicitly race-based system, in fact a number of the key policies were officially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/although-it-is-common-to-think-of-jim-crow-as-an-explicitly-race/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [The FBI has had a history of sex discrimination complaints brought against it, as well as race discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-hill/the-fbi-has-had-a-history-of-sex-discrimination-complaints-brought/)

[Anita Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-hill/)

## More by William O. Douglas

> [The First Amendment makes confidence in the common sense of our people and in the maturity of their judgement the great postulate of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-first-amendment-makes-confidence-in-the-common-sense-of-our/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [Common sense often makes good law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/common-sense-often-makes-good-law/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [Inanimate objects are sometimes parties to litigation. A ship has a legal personality, a fiction found useful for maritime purposes. The corporation sole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/inanimate-objects-are-sometimes-parties-to-litigation-a-ship-has-a/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [I've often thought that if planners were botanists, zoologists, geologists, and people who know about the earth, we would have much more wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-ve-often-thought-that-if-planners-were-botanists-zoologists/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-have-the-same-confidence-in-the-ability-of-our-people-to-reject/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-liberties-of-none-are-safe-unless-the-liberties-of-all-are/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/a-function-of-free-speech-under-our-system-of-government-is-to-invite/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [At the constitutional level where we work, 90 percent of any decision is emotional. The rational part of us supplies the reasons for supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/at-the-constitutional-level-where-we-work-90-percent-of-any-decision/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [To be whole and harmonious, man must also know the music of the beaches and the woods. He must find the thing of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/to-be-whole-and-harmonious-man-must-also-know-the-music-of-the/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [Sunlight is the best disinfectant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/sunlight-is-the-best-disinfectant/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [We deal with a right of privacy older than the Bill of Rights-older than our political parties, older than our school system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/we-deal-with-a-right-of-privacy-older-than-the-bill-of-rights-older/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [It is our attitude toward free thought and free expression that will determine our fate. There must be no limit on the range of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/it-is-our-attitude-toward-free-thought-and-free-expression-that-will/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [The interests of the corporation state are to convert all the riches of the earth into dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-interests-of-the-corporation-state-are-to-convert-all-the-riches/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [There have always been grievances and youth has always been the agitator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/there-have-always-been-grievances-and-youth-has-always-been-the/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

[Explore all 145 William O. Douglas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

## More Black quotes

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

[Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/)

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

[Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Racial discrimination against a white is as unconstitutional as race discrimination against a black.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William O. Douglas"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is-as-unconstitutional-as-race/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is-as-unconstitutional-as-race/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/william-o-douglas-2931_black_racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is_1839011.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Racial discrimination against a white is as unconstitutional as race discrimination against a black.” — William O. Douglas",
                "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": "William O. Douglas",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Racial discrimination against a white is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is-as-unconstitutional-as-race/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/racial-discrimination-against-a-white-is-as-unconstitutional-as-race/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
