When you're Black in America, you spend a lot of time counting firsts. The higher the first, the more we marvel (and shake our heads at how long it took to happen.) The higher the first, the more the person who achieved it comes to represent how we want the nation to see us.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the significance of achievements by Black individuals in America and how they symbolize progress and representation amidst historical challenges.
Jonathan Capehart's quote reflects on the experiences of Black Americans who often find themselves measuring progress through significant milestones achieved by individuals in the community. Each 'first' achieved—be it in politics, sports, or other fields—serves as both a source of pride and a reminder of the systemic obstacles that have existed, emphasizing the broader narrative of representation and the hope for a more equitable future.
In practice
In a speech about diversity and inclusion at a corporate event.
Isn't it sad that really the only times I feel seen as an American are when I'm abroad? I'm not saying racism doesn't exist outside of the United States. What I am saying is that the rest of the world can see that I'm American. Why is it so hard for so many White Americans?
The harsh truth is that 'respectability' is the exorbitant tax we African Americans are forced to pay daily as we try to live out our versions of the American Dream.
Caught in a racial uproar, people make all sorts of promises to make amends. Whatever they do tends to be heavy on symbolism and light on lasting change.
When you're Black in the United States, you grudgingly grow accustomed to having people deny that your existence is integral to everything that makes this country what it is.
There are still too many instances of police neither protecting nor serving LGBTQ and other marginalized communities. But the response shouldn't be to ban LGBTQ police from a parade.
Scapegoating is as American as apple pie. And because there's almost always a racial or ethnic dynamic to it in our country, scapegoating is the evil cousin of white supremacy.
Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret.
Since hate poisons the soul, don't cherish enmities or grudges: avoid people who make you unhappy.
You know, the eleven million people living in the shadows, I believe, they're already American citizens... These people are just waiting, waiting for a chance to contribute fully. And by that standard alone eleven million undocumented aliens are already Americans in my view.
Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.
She hardly ever thought of him. He had worn a place for himself in some corner of her heart, as a sea shell, always boring against the rock, might do. The making of the place had been her pain. But now the shell was safely in the rock. It was lodged, and ground no longer.
Given the historical power differential between blacks and whites, blacks are required to be attentive to the way their white counterparts see themselves in relation to people of color if they want to survive and even thrive.
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