Today's Constitution is a realistic document of freedom only because of several corrective amendments. Those amendments speak to a sense of decency and fairness that I and other Blacks cherish.

To protest against injustice is the foundation of all our American democracy.

The death penalty is no more effective a deterrent than life imprisonment... It is also evident that the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor, the ignorant and the underprivileged members of society.

Some may more quietly commemorate the suffering, struggle, and sacrifice that has triumphed over much of what was wrong with the original document, and observe the anniversary with hopes not realized and promises not fulfilled. I plan to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution as a living document, including the Bill of Rights and the other amendments protecting individual freedoms and human rights.

The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity but also those of the human spirit - a spirit that demands self-expression .

History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.

What is the quality of your intent?