People don't just show up and lie down in the middle of the street some place out of nothing. Somebody said meet me there, let's get together, and let's do this thing. The interesting thing is that we don't know who all of the leaders of these groups are, but we know that they're out there, and we know a new group of leadership is being created. It shows you that leadership can come from anywhere.

I now teach at American University and the University of Virginia

The First Amendment means everything to me.

You must place interest in principle above interest on principal.

Discrimination is discrimination no matter who the victim is, and it is always wrong. There are no special rights in America, despite the attempts by many to divide blacks and the gay community with the argument that the latter are seeking some imaginary special rights at the expense of blacks.

Black reporters are as capable of racism as anyone else.

The civil rights movement didn't begin in Montgomery and it didn't end in the 1960s. It continues on to this very minute.