When I started graduate school I was interested in the culture of the Civil Rights Movement.

Most people come out of their Ph.D. experience trying to prove themselves, trying to get ahead, trying to get published. You're scared everybody else is going to do your research and get your topic.

Personally I discovered that you could go through the academy as a young scholar, come out, and almost immediately have an impact on the academic environment.

So one of the things that happened with integration in the South is they found that the black teachers were much more educated than the white teachers.

Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.

The first job I had with the Smithsonian was as a field researcher among African American communities in Southwest Louisiana and Arkansas for the festival.

Welcome to prekindergarten! You will not die if you discover that there are more lines out there than just your own. In fact, you'll discover that you will have an advantage if you know more of them!