I was involved with the anti-apartheid movement through my work as an artist and also through my political commitment.

I have the capacity to express what I feel needs to be expressed. And I try to do what I believe in.

One of the main purveyors of violence in this world has been this country America.

If we talk about literacy, we have to talk about how to enhance our children's mastery over the tools needed to live intelligent, creative, and involved lives.

I was able to do The Saint of Fort Washington, on the relationship between two homeless men.

Mother Earth is in pain and ailing - bglobal warming. The world is dealing with issues of immigration, deindustrialization, and poverty. When I was born, there were 2.5 billion people living on the whole planet. Now there are 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day. That's the kind of reality we have to deal with.

Democracy is about criticism. I didn't elect Obama because he's a black; I voted for Obama because he was the right person at the time. Period. The exceptionalism of a black U.S. President is not important to me. It's what he does. And who he has at the table. And what he does to change the world - that's what's important.