"I am viewed as the Negro who has gone outside of the categories assigned to me"

This quote by Anthony Braxton talks to the experience of being a black individual in a society that has actually historically placed them in a limited variety of functions. Braxton is saying that he has actually gone beyond the expectations and stereotypes that have actually been put on him as a black person. He is asserting his right to be viewed as an individual, not just as a member of a specific group. He is challenging the idea that black people ought to be confined to specific functions and expectations. He is stating that he is more than simply a "Negro" which he ought to be seen as a specific with his own special talents and abilities. He is asserting his right to be viewed as an equivalent and to be evaluated on his own merits. This quote talks to the power of self-determination and the significance of challenging the status quo. It is an effective reminder that we all have the right to be viewed as people and to be judged on our own merits.