Electoral politics was always an objective of the Black Panther party, so Barack Obama is a part of what we dreamed and struggled and died for.

On the one hand, the guns were there to help capture the imagination of the people. But more important, since we knew that you couldn't observe the police without guns, we took our guns with us to let the police know that we have an equalizer.

To develop political and economic power in a capitalist society, you need capital.

I am not a hoodlum. I'm a community organizer.

I'd have no trouble being the barbecue kingpin of America. I'd just add it to all the other things I am: jazz musician, carpenter, architect, engineer and revolutionary.

I'm still a political revolutionary. The fire never went out of me, but perceptions and realizations change.

You don't fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity.