QUOTES ABOUT POLITICS
Dr. DaShanne Stokes is a sociologist, public scholar, and speaker whose work examines power, politics, inequality, institutions, legitimacy, and social change. His scholarship and public commentary explore how political systems and structures of power shape rights, representation, democracy, public discourse, and everyday life.
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Democracy and Electoral Integrity
“Denying the popular vote is un-American and anti-democratic.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“No matter their party, people with a conflict of interest should be banned from the Electoral College.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“We must acknowledge and take responsibility for the conflicts we have helped to create, and act to create real change. That, after all, is the true hallmark of democracy--a commitment to justice, honest self-appraisal, and action--even when it means challenging ourselves and the political institutions we hold most dear.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Leadership and Presidential Accountability
“Resistance isn’t enough. If we want change, we have to get out the vote.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Ethics and oversight are what you eliminate when you want absolute power.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“If you love your country, you must be willing to defend it from fraud, bigotry, and recklessness--even from a president.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Trump didn't divide America. He just doused us with gasoline and fanned the flames.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“We elected a man who knows how to build walls when we needed someone who knows how to build bridges.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“One of the most important qualities of a president is the ability to inspire, to bring people together f or the common good.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Civil Rights and Institutional Bigotry
“We must tell the world that even though we elected a bigot, bigotry will not prevail.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“You're not under attack when others gain rights and privileges you've always had.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“When we hide discrimination under the guise of 'religious freedom,' we make a mockery of human rights.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“It's a scary world we live in when a person of color endorses a racist for president.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“I've fought for religious freedom and I can tell you that anti-gay 'religious freedom' bills aren't it.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Today's 'religious freedom' policies should not be seen as a problem limited to LGBT people but as a co-optation of religion that affects us all.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Bigotry lives not just in our words, but in our actions, thoughts, and institutions.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“An institution rooted in slavery cannot be the voice of our people.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Adoptee Rights and Policy Reform
“If the system were designed to protect adoptees, why do so many have to fight for their rights?”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“It's illegal to deny people their records due to race or gender. Adoptees deserve the same rights and protections.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Adoptees deserve open records because deception and partial truths do not set us free.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Laws forbidding adoptees from accessing their original birth certificates are outdated and need to be changed today.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Truth, Unity, and Civic Responsibility
“Fear is the intended result of codifying homophobia into law.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Racist legacy laws and modern racist practices are all part of the same system, and it needs to be changed now.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“We must speak truth to power and confront ignorance with facts.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“We owe our loyalty to each other and to our children’s children, not to party politics.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
“Blind party loyalty will be our downfall. We must follow the truth wherever it leads.”
— Dr. DaShanne Stokes
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Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Dr. DaShanne Stokes is a sociologist, educator, author, and public intellectual whose scholarship examines the relationship between power, politics, inequality, legitimacy, and social institutions. As a Research Associate in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, his work investigates how institutions exercise power, how political recognition is created or denied, and how systems of inequality become normalized, reproduced, and contested. His academic and public scholarship connects questions of politics and public policy to broader issues of democracy, governance, social regulation, rights, and social change.
Dr. Stokes has published scholarly research examining political power and recognition in both domestic and international contexts. His article, “Political opportunities and the quest for political recognition in Tibet, Taiwan, and Palestine”, published in the International Review of Sociology, develops a political-opportunity approach to understanding why some political entities achieve international recognition while others do not. His earlier article, “Native American Mobilization and the Power of Recognition: Theorizing the Effects of Political Acknowledgment”, published in the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, examines how political recognition can influence collective action and political mobilization. Together, this scholarship reflects a sustained interest in the ways recognition, institutions, power, and political opportunity shape political outcomes.
His teaching, research, and public scholarship have also addressed political institutions, social movements, citizenship, nationalism, the state, law, civil rights, discrimination, public policy, political leadership, and contemporary political conflict. His work has appeared in academic publications as well as public-facing media, and his expertise has informed commentary and speaking on politics, power, inequality, democracy, governance, and social change. Readers interested in his broader scholarly record can explore his ORCID profile, Google Scholar profile, ResearchGate profile, and WorldCat author record.
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