I Think, In Fact, I Think President

My Mother And Father And Many Of My Relatives Had Been Sharecroppers.

Some People Think That [it Was] Martin Luther King Jr.'s Idea To Have A Boycott. It Was A Black Woman, A Teacher, Who Said We Should Boycott The Buses. You Had People Like Fannie Lou Hamer; Delta, Mississippi.

As A Young Child, It Became Crystal Clear To Me That There Were Certain Rights And Privileges That Other People Had That My Mother, My Father, My Grandparents, My Great Grandparents Didn't Have - That It Was An Ongoing Struggle To Realize The Dream Of The 14th And 15th Amendment.

When I Speak To Students About The Civil Rights Movement, I Say That It Is Impossible To Stop A Determined Movement That Is Captivating The American Consciousness. I Think The Candidacy Of Sen. Obama Represents The Beginning Of A New Movement In American Political History That Began In The Hearts And Minds Of The People Of This Nation. And I Want To Be On The Side Of The People, On The Side Of The Spirit Of History.

When I Was A Student, I Studied Philosophy And Religion. I Talked About Being Patient. Some People Say I Was Too Hopeful, Too Optimistic, But You Have To Be Optimistic Just In Keeping With The Philosophy Of Non-violence.