In 2004, there were more black men disenfranchised than in 1870 - the year the 15th Amendment was ratified, prohibiting laws that deny the right to vote exclusively on the basis of race.
Michelle AlexanderRead
The sprinkling of people of color through elite institutions in the United States, due to affirmative action policies and the limited progress of middle-class and upper-middle-class African Americans, creates the illusion of great progress.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Affirmative action can create a misleading perception of diversity and progress in society.
Michelle Alexander's quote critiques the perception that the presence of people of color in elite institutions signifies genuine societal progress. She argues that this inclusion, primarily due to affirmative action, often masks the deeper systemic issues faced by the broader community of African Americans, suggesting that true advancement is far more complex than surface-level representation.
Themes
Affirmative ActionDiversityIllusionProgressSociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar discussing the effects of affirmative action on education, this quote could provide insight on the complexities of perceived progress.
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The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid. In Washington, D.C., our nation’s capitol, it is estimated that three out of four young black men (and nearly all those in the poorest neighborhoods) can expect to serve time in prison.
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We have avoided in recent years talking openly and honestly about race out of fear that it will alienate and polarize. In my own view, it’s our refusal to deal openly and honestly with race that leads us to keep repeating these cycles of exclusion and division, and rebirthing a caste-like system that we claim we’ve left behind
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Michelle AlexanderRead
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