Most black leaders, whether left, right or center, from Frederick Douglas and Martin Delaney on in the middle of the 19th century have not even wondered about the merits of the capitalist system.

We really invented the genre of tracing family trees and going back as far as we could on the paper trail. When the paper trail disappeared, we used DNA analysis. The technology was just being invented that allowed you to trace ancestry through DNA.

If America has a civic religion, the First Amendment is its central article of faith.

Cuba is like going to a whole other planet. It's so different but it's so similar to the United States, to Miami. It's like a doppelgaenger. It's the mirror image. And I have no doubt, that once Cuba becomes democratic, that it will be the favorite tourist destination for Americans.

My brother and I had a really privileged relationship with my parents... They treated us like adults.

The first step toward tolerance is respect and the first step toward respect is knowledge.

The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience.