White people are a very recent invention, and I do say invention. In America it is very clear that many people came here for many complex reasons, but they were not white before they got here. They were Irish or Polish or English or German, they didn’t become white until they got here. And they had to become white in self-defense because I was here. And I was here for them, to work for them to keep them white.

James Baldwin (via knowledgeequalsblackpower)

(via black-culture)

Thu, Oct 9th 2014 at 16 PM