The whites of both sections make themselves believe, as a sort of salve to their conscience, I suppose, that the Negro in their midst is an alien race, is a non-assimilable element in the body politic, whose ejectment or isolation the health of that body and the race purity of the whites render necessary.
Archibald Henry Grimké: “The whites of both sections make themselves believe, as a sort of salve to their conscience, I suppose, that the Negro…”
Editor's note · Context
He critiques the perception of African Americans as an alien race, which serves to justify their marginalization.
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