Individual responsibility, hard work, paying attention in school, faith, family all these things are important.

Everything I am I owe to my faith and secondly to parents who were old school.

The more I ponder some of the boneheaded decisions GOP candidates have made of late, I can't bring myself to believe that they are serious about capturing more than about 8 percent of the black vote.

I was taught to respect everyone for the simple reason that we're all God's children. I was taught, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.... to judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. And I was taught that character...is simply doing what's right when nobody's looking.

I do think, however, that there's a very diverse point of view in the African-American community. There's a lot of different voices that need to be heard. I don't claim and pretend to know the thoughts and opinions and ideas of all African-Americans.

When it comes to the American dream, no one has a corner on the market. All of us have an equal chance to share in that dream.

I think Newt Gingrich has a proven track record of changing Washington and getting results.