History as Living Experience
History is not something that happened in the past. History lives in the body, in the way society is organized, in the money you have or don't have.
Ta-Nehisi Coates
American writer and journalist exploring racial history and identity in America, author of Between the World and Me
All moments: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Truth and the Difficulty of Dialogue — Ta-Nehisi Coates
When you talk about race in America, people often want to simplify it. But there's real history here, and we must sit with it, even if it's uncomfortable.
- Hope and Its Contradictions — Ta-Nehisi Coates
Hope is not naiveté. It's a firm conviction in the face of evidence that things can be better. But it requires a clear vision of reality.
- The Defense of Truth — Ta-Nehisi Coates
I say what I say because it's the truth I know. I can't agree to lie for the sake of politeness.
- The World and Personal Anguish — Ta-Nehisi Coates
I can't separate my personal anguish from the pain of the world. They're intertwined. When you're Black in America, your body is a political object.
- The Power of Narrative — Ta-Nehisi Coates
Story is salvation. When you tell your story, you refuse to be an object in someone else's narrative. You become the subject of your own.
- Humiliation as System — Ta-Nehisi Coates
Humiliation is not a byproduct of oppression. It's the goal. The system is built to make people feel less, and that's structural.
Related moments
- Birth of a Legend — Paul McCartney
The Beatles were about growth. We changed every single day.
- Documenting History — Questlove
As a documentarian, I feel a responsibility to preserve the history of Black music and culture
- All Music Is Folk Music — Louis Armstrong
All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
- The Power of Compassion — Michael Jackson
The most important thing is love and compassion. They override everything.
- Music Is Life — Jon Batiste
Music is a spiritual practice, a therapy, a way to connect us to ourselves and each other
- Compromise and Conscience — Bob Dylan
I'll never sell my soul for money or fame. It's my only true asset.