We spend so much time bantering about the words when the real open conversations might very well be our actions. I worry about our rhetoric.

Racism has been for everyone like a horrible, tragic car crash, and we've all been heavily sedated from it. If we don't come into consciousness of this tragedy, there's going to be a violent awakening we don't want. The question is, can we wake up?

You've heard that old expression from Shakespeare, 'Just speak the speech'? The words themselves will take you to the reality of the character. And so this led me to interview people.

People who are sick, or who have been sick, or have come close to death have a lot to say - and they want you to hear it.

Hope is when you look out the window and you go, 'It doesn't look good at all, but I'm going to go beyond what I see to give people visions of what could be.'

Then everyone leaves, and you are left, each night, to your own devices with a crowd of interesting people - most of whom you don't know - sitting in the dark.

Poverty makes it very difficult in an already competitive world for kids to get on a straight track where they can actually love learning.