The black church often has reinforced certain self images that are damaging to black peoples' beauty, black peoples' confidence.

Greatness is telling the truth & being courageous in pursuit of justice. The worst thing you could tell young people is to be successful but become well-adjusted to an unjust status quo as opposed to being great & being maladjusted to an unjust status quo.

The interesting thing for me is, if that had been a left-wing person raising questions, [President Obama] probably would have expressed his anger. Because Obama really does get upset about progressives.

This is what it is for Asians to be part of - support affirmative action, even though it may be against their interest, but they feel it's a matter of justice.

The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.

And as a Christian, I got something the world didn't give me, the world can't take away, so I find joy that can never be reduced to anything.

liberty, which means resisting all forms of cultural authoritarianism, be it from the right wing church, black ideologues, black nationalists, or mainstream white media. We have to accent liberty and freedom of expression and thought in all their forms.