He was a humanist then, he's a humanist now, and to my mind John Carlos is an authentic American hero.

Troubled times do call for troubled songs, songs that unsettle our souls and our spirits unapologetically.

He was a humanist then, he's a humanist now, and to my mind John Carlos is an authentic American hero.

How do you grow up in the shadow of a guy - I want to talk about the movie in a second - but how do you grow up in the shadow of a guy who really is a legend in his own time?

Even behind bars, even on Death Row, you can fail up, because life is about committing ourselves on a daily basis to the best in us. Freedom is a state of mind. Freedom is an attitude. Freedom is a spirit. You may be behind bars, but you still have the capacity to be free.

I grew. Going outside my comfort zone is a big one for me.

Even in the era of the first black president, racism is still the most intractable issue in USA. Regarding poverty, half of all Americans are either in or near poverty. Poverty is certainly worse for African-Americans now than it was during King's lifetime.