It's no accident that most of the great black spokespersons and leaders understood the centrality of self-affirmation, self-respect and self-love.

The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working people.

To be human, at the most profound level, is to encounter honestly the inescapable circumstances that constrain us, yet muster the courage to struggle compassionately for our own unique individualities and for more democratic and free societies.

All you have is a gift a to give.

Racism is a moral catastrophe, most graphically seen in the prison industrial complex and targeted police surveillance in black and brown ghettos rendered invisible in public discourse.

The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.

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