America’s democratic claims are shadowed by a founding belief that white lives matter more.

Evidence

Chris felt invisible, like her life did not and does not matter. She’s not alone—millions of black Americans experience these same hardships and the same feelings of invisibility. Our national refusal to acknowledge the Great Black Depression says to black America that the suffering it is enduring is unimportant. It is the latest instance of the contradiction that has defined this country since its birth: our claims to democracy have always been shadowed by the belief that some people—white people—are valued more than others. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 72

Categorization

• DEFINE: This introduces the value gap thesis in nuce — the core concept the reader must define precisely.