"Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both"
About this Quote
Then she sharpens the blade: “class warfare” will overshadow both. Coming from an activist and jurist who fought segregation through the law, that’s not a pivot away from race and gender so much as a warning about the next battlefield where power will reorganize itself. The subtext is strategic. If racism and sexism can adapt, class can be the umbrella under which new exclusions are rationalized: austerity framed as “discipline,” inequality sold as merit, rights treated as luxuries. Motley is also puncturing a certain liberal complacency that celebrates symbolic breakthroughs while leaving material arrangements untouched.
Context matters: Motley lived through Jim Crow, argued landmark civil rights cases, and became the first Black woman federal judge. She saw how victories could be real and still partial, how institutions learn to comply on paper while preserving hierarchy in practice. Her line anticipates a recurring American pattern: when the language of equality advances, the economics of inequality often harden. The intent isn’t to rank oppressions like a grim scoreboard; it’s to insist that the next century’s politics will be decided by who gets security, housing, healthcare, and dignity - and who is told their suffering is simply the price of the market.
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Motley, Constance Baker. (2026, January 15). Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sexism-like-racism-goes-with-us-into-the-next-47015/
Chicago Style
Motley, Constance Baker. "Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sexism-like-racism-goes-with-us-into-the-next-47015/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sexism-like-racism-goes-with-us-into-the-next-47015/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
