Let me just say that to imagine racism does not exist is imagination. And to imagine that it does not create its own set of problems is true imagination. So let’s not imagine that racism is gone, extinguished, because it’s not. We are seeing this in the top levels of the political arena, and we are seeing it very, very plainly.

Rashad argues that “colorblind” denial is itself a fantasy: pretending racism is over requires imagination because it contradicts lived reality and observable public life. She adds that racism is not merely an attitude but a force that generates concrete consequences—new “sets of problems”—in institutions and everyday experience. By pointing to “top levels of the political arena,” she frames racism as systemic and publicly legible, not confined to private prejudice. The quote functions as a warning against complacency: progress narratives can become a way of refusing responsibility, while honest recognition is presented as the prerequisite for meaningful civic and moral action.