Well, when Christ comes back this time, I hope He comes back mad His own self. I hope He drives the Jim Crowers out of their high places, every living last one of them from Washington to Texas.

Folks, I'm telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean- so get yourself a little loving in between.

Both of them were very good and kind - the one who went to church and the one who didn't. And no doubt from them I learned to like both Christians and sinners equally well.

I went down to the river, I set down on the bank. I tried to think but couldn't, So I jumped in and sank.

We Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Censorship for us begins at the color line.

Sometimes I wish the public were equally aware of the men of our race in the cultural fields. You, for instance, have you ever bought a book by a Negro writer?

They [the police] learned something from them Harlem riots. They used to beat your head right in public, but now they only beat it after they get you down to the station house.