We have a history of gender and racial bias on our court that continues to undermine the system. Excluding individuals based on race is antagonistic to the pursuit of justice.

I am hopeful that others who have suffered sexual harassment will not become discouraged by my experience, but instead will find the strength to speak out about this serious problem.

I think, though, as African-American women, we are always trained to value our community even at the expense of ourselves, and so we attempt to protect the African-American community.

For my undergraduate work, I went to Oklahoma State University and graduated from there in 1977

I am really proud to be a part in whatever way of women becoming active in the political scene. I think it was the first time that people came to terms with the reality of what it meant to have a Senate made up of 98 men and two women.

I work every day to live up to my mother's model. She was a very proud woman. And she really prepared me to go off into the world as a proud daughter.

We've got to understand that all disenfranchised people have something in common...The pursuit of justice really is about equality for everyone.