I don't attempt to make people uncomfortable; I think that my standards in terms of art and journalism always have necessitated my discomfort. Ta-Nehisi Coates More Quotes by Ta-Nehisi Coates More Quotes From Ta-Nehisi Coates I don't know how you bridge that contradiction, but I felt that Barack Obama was sincere. It didn't feel like a line to me. You know, it felt like him reverting back to what was in his bones and that's, you know, optimism and a deep belief in, you know, American institutions and the American people. Ta-Nehisi Coates optimismbridgespeople [Winning the White House was an achievement], but as an African-American, [Barack Obama], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The symbolism was in - and this sounds really, really small, but it's actually big for African-Americans - the symbolism was not in being an embarrassment, but to being a figure that folks were actually proud of. Ta-Nehisi Coates symbolismwinningthinking Any time you have, you know, upwards of 90 percent of a demographic voting against somebody, that's a statement. Ta-Nehisi Coates demographicspercentvoting I think President [Barack] Obama deeply underestimated the force of white supremacy in American life. Ta-Nehisi Coates presidentwhitethinking [Grew up in Hawaii] that gave [Barack Obama] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an ability to trust, you know, in his fellow, you know, white countrymen in a way that I, for instance, you know, and the vast majority of black people I know never really could. Ta-Nehisi Coates optimismwhitepeople In particular in how [Barack Obama] has directed what you could describe as patronizing remarks to African-American communities. Ta-Nehisi Coates patronizingafrican-americancommunity My mom used to tell me, I can't use this phrase on the radio - but basically don't be one of those dudes hanging on the corner. Ta-Nehisi Coates phrasesmomuse I would flip this the other way and say over 90 percent of African-Americans voted against Donald Trump. Ta-Nehisi Coates flipafrican-americanway [Donald Trump] went on to, you know, otherize Muslims, otherize Latinos, otherize women, that he built out from that. And it can be true that a unique, you know, individual like Barack Obama can succeed in spite of that and still be the case that that force is quite, quite strong. Ta-Nehisi Coates succeedstrongunique I think there's a sort of, you know, very thin way of reading this that says, well, Barack Obama is biracial thus that gives him some understanding of both white America and black America, but that's not really it. Ta-Nehisi Coates readingwhitethinking Humans also tend to find community to be pleasurable, and within the boundaries of community relationships, words - often ironic and self-deprecating - are always spoken that take on other meanings when uttered by others. Ta-Nehisi Coates ironiccommunityself These were the days when I powerfully believed Breyers and Entenmann's to be pioneers in the field of antidepressants. Ta-Nehisi Coates antidepressantspioneersfields I think, as a writer, I'm in my own head. Ta-Nehisi Coates my-ownthinking If you are attempting to study American history, and you don't understand the force of white supremacy, you fundamentally misunderstand America. Ta-Nehisi Coates understandyouwhitehistory The Ku Klux Klan is the most profligate domestic terrorist organization in this country's history. Ta-Nehisi Coates klanorganizationcountryhistory We have this long history of racism in this country, and as it happens, the criminal justice system has been perhaps the most prominent instrument for administering racism. But the racism doesn't actually come from the criminal justice system. Ta-Nehisi Coates racismjusticelonghistory I'm not going to break up my family, not for a book. Ta-Nehisi Coates goingfamilybreakbook The relationship between violence and nonviolence in this country is interesting. The fact of the matter is, you know, people do respond to riots. The 1968 Housing Act was in large response to riots that broke out after Dr. Martin Luther King was killed. They cited these as an actual inspiration. Ta-Nehisi Coates kingyourelationshippeople It meant something to see people who looked like me in comic books. It was this beautiful place that I felt pop culture should look like. Ta-Nehisi Coates mebeautifulculturepeople I love America the way I love my family - I was born into it. And there's no escape out of it. Ta-Nehisi Coates bornfamilyloveway
