A child born to a Black mother in a state like Mississippi... has exactly the same rights as a white baby born to the wealthiest person in the United States. It's not true, but I challenge anyone to say it is not a goal worth working for.

In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.

What's shaking, chiefy baby?

Truth is more than a mental exercise.

I'm the world's original gradualist. I just think ninety-odd years is gradual enough.

None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns - bent down and helped us pick up our boots.

Ending racial discrimination in jury selection can be accomplished only by eliminating peremptory challenges entirely.