There are no clean victories for black people, nor, perhaps, for any people. The presidency of Barack Obama is no different. One can now say that an African American individual can rise to the same level as a white individual, and yet also say that the number of black individuals who actually qualify for that status will be small. One thinks of Serena Williams, whose dominance and stunning achievements can’t, in and of themselves, ensure equal access to tennis facilities for young black girls. The gate is open and yet so very far away. TaNehisi Coates
About This Quote

The statement “black people can’t win” is often misunderstood. This quote does not say that black people cannot win, nor does it say that black people don’t deserve to win. Instead, the statement says that the triumph of an individual who is black, or any other group of people for that matter, will be limited by its context. Even if an individual makes it to the top, his or her success will always be diluted because there are so few of them relative to their white counterparts.

For example, if a person is black and they make it to the top of their field in music, there are relatively few black people who are musicians in general. Even in sports, there are far fewer black coaches or athletes at the highest level than there are white ones. When someone says “there aren’t enough blacks who can make it to the top” they are not saying that the person won’t make it to the top because he is black; they are simply saying that his success will be diluted by their relative lack of numbers at the very top.

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