Activist

In politics, an organized minority is a political majority.

In many ways, history is marked as 'before' and 'after' Rosa Parks. She sat down in order that we all might stand up, and the walls of segregation came down.

I know they are all environmentalists. I heard a lot of my speeches recycled.

Watch the walls come down, whether it's in the South or on Wall Street. When the walls come down, what do we find? More markets, more talent, more capital and growth. Which means that the race and sex discrimination stunt economic growth. It's not good for capitalism. It's not good for America's growth. And it's not morally right.

Republicans are the party of 'no,' and Democrats are the party of 'don't know' because it hasn't fought for bold ideas, policies, or plans to turn us in a new direction.

If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.

Humanitarian appeals always help. They penetrate deeper than political tradeoffs.

The American people on the ground need a clearer, stronger, Lyndon B. Johnson-type voice from their president.

Today's students can put dope in their veins or hope in their brains. If they can conceive it and believe it, they can achieve it. They must know it is not their aptitude but their attitude that will determine their altitude.

So much talent comes from the base of poverty and those in the margins. You limit the base, you miss too much talent.

So many bright stars, bright in life, burn out quickly.

A man must be willing to die for justice. Death is an inescapable reality and men die daily, but good deeds live forever.

I came to the conclusion that in order to end racial barriers, I needed to run for the office of the president and put forth an agenda of social justice and world peace. In addition, I concluded that someone needed to run and challenge the liberal orthodoxy.

We blacks were the first people embracing Obama, long before the people at expensive fundraisers were supporting him. We gave him his first love, 96 percent of blacks voted for him in 2008. Yet today we are the number one in unemployment, with 16 percent of American blacks out of work.

The coffers are full of money and equipment for the Ferguson Police and the Missouri National Guard to put down a potential uprising, but no money for actually uplifting the people of Ferguson, St. Louis, Missouri and around the nation.

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.

The more you focus on sex without love, and drugs and violence, lifestyle of intimidation and recycling, the less energy you spend on opening up the big tent.

Great things happen in small places. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesse Jackson was born in Greenville.

There is no power in cynicism. There is no forward thrust in cynicism.

Black men of integrity cannot make a deal with a politician and leave out the poor of the nation, all God's children.