For the first half of my adult life, I was a Democrat.

Progress for black Americans depends on good schools because education is the last great equalizer.

But I do know this: that the two and a half years that I've been at HUD, I am absolutely convinced that some of the best workers in the world are in Federal Government.

I was soon drawn to the Republican Party because I realized that it truly, not just rhetorically, believed in equality.

The dream doesn't lie in victimization or blame; it lies in hard work, determination and a good education.

America is a place where you can be born into a low-income household but still lift yourself up, and it doesn't matter what color you are.

They take pride in their schools. They begin to participate, where, when they are renters, they don't do that. So what we're doing by this program is strengthening America.