AJ Tracey Quotes

I'm always annoyed about why black people have to bear the brunt of everybody else's contempt. If we are not totally understanding and smiling, suddenly we're demons.

It's no surprise that White people say things when they are together about Black people.

My view is I should have been Miss Massillonian, and I wasn't. I think the reason I wasn't was because I was black. Frankly, I was told later I should have been. But they were afraid if they elected a black girl as Miss Massillonian, it would have been a scandal.

I grew up in a predominantly white community - Hinsdale, Illinois - and given that, I feel blessed because I could still count my experiences with blatant racism on two hands. I thought racism was the substitute teacher picking on you because she assumes that you're a delinquent, and she doesn't know you have the highest score in the class.

There's no such thing as reverse racism.

I find that the prejudice in this country to color is very great, and I sometimes fear that it is on the increase.

The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.

The thought of' the inferiority of the Negro is drilled into him in almost every class he enters and in almost every book he studies.

If you're white, You're all right. If you're brown, Stick around. But if you're black, Get back, get back.

There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.

We don't realize how much racism has tainted our self-image as human beings.

It's something that black men still go through to this day, which is women clutching their purses, hitting the lock button on store, or just basic attitudes. And even as a U.S. congressman, as a black man, it is very, very frustrating, and you build up an internal anger about it that you can't act on.

Let's face it: there's still a certain amount of racism in human beings, so that shows up in Hollywood.

Al Campanis made people finally understand what goes on behind closed doors - that there is racism in baseball.

This is really honest: I have to remind myself not to look another black man as a threat.

So often, blackness is seen in a negative light.

It doesn't even feel like racism is real. It just feels like the weirdest ploy, like we're just being had on so many levels. It's even kind of funny when you think about it. A reason not to like someone is 'because you're black.' C'mon, man. How dumb is that?

I had a casting director tell me to be blacker.

Our internal racism is still alive. We are still putting each other down and making jokes about each other because of the color of our skin. With women particularly, it's difficult because the beauty business says, 'If you don't look a certain way, God made a mistake.'

I can only say that sometimes skin colour does make a difference.

It is still difficult being a black cyclist. There are people who say bad things to you that they won't to a white person. It is stupid that that is the case, but your skin colour is there, and some people judge you on that.

I'm very light, so some people don't really know that I'm black. I've been in situations where people will say something kind of racist, and I'll step in, and they'll be like, 'Oh, well, you're light.' That still doesn't cut it, buddy.

For instance, if you're a black guy and you got pulled over, and you didn't know that any other black men were being pulled over, you would constantly in the back of your head be thinking, "What did I do?" rather than, "I didn't do anything, these are just the conditions I live under."

We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are acceptable.

Black reporters are as capable of racism as anyone else.