It is not the destiny of Black America to repeat white America's mistakes. But we will, if we mistake the trappings of success in a sick society for the signs of a meaningful life.

Change is the immediate responsibility of each of us, wherever and however we are standing, in whatever arena we choose.

pornography is a direct denial of the power of the erotic, for it represents the suppression of true feeling. Pornography emphasizes sensation without feeling.

For those of us who write, it is necessary to scrutinize not only the truth of what we speak, but the truth of that language by which we speak it.

I was going to die, if not sooner, then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.

I agreed to take part in a New York University Institute for Humanities conference a year ago. . . .

It is axiomatic that if we do not define ourselves for ourselves, we will be defined by others-for their use and to our detriment.