When it comes to fighting for freedom, those who are willing to fight should not be limited by our bigotry. Only rewarded with our gratitude.

For children, diversity needs to be real and not merely relegated to learning the names of the usual suspects during Black History Month or enjoying south-of-the-border cuisine on Cinco de Mayo. It means talking to and spending time with kids not like them so that they may discover those kids are in fact just like them.

I don't know when I made that active decision to be a writer or to try to write, but I know I always liked storytelling.

When people come in the door and they have something, discovering and exploring the character is a real joy.

It is time to celebrate the New Black Americans - those who have sealed the Deal, who aren't beholden to liberal indulgence any more than they are to the disdain of the hard Right. It is time to praise blacks who are merely undeniable in their individuality and exemplary in their levels of achievement .

With fear of stating the obvious: Freedom belongs to 'We the People,' not 'They the Politicians.'

I've no desire to start a movement, to be the first name on an open petition, or to be the poster child for disgruntled writers.