Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s anchor. We are the compass for humanity’s conscience.

Each and every one of you has the power, the will and the capacity to make a difference in the world in which you live in

In the gun game, we are the most hunted. The river of blood that washes the streets of our nation flows mostly from the bodies of our black children.

I am who I am despite what America has put before me. I am who I am despite the obstacles that we have all faced based upon race and based upon social and spiritual humiliation.

You can cage the singer but not the song.

Art in its highest form is art that serves and instructs society and human development.

Bring it on. Dissent is central to any democracy.

These children and their parents know that getting an education is not only their right, but a passport to a better future - for the children and for the country.

We've come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended.

Where is the raised voice of black America? Why are we mute?

Our foreign policy has made a wreck of this planet. I'm always in Africa... And when I go to these places I see American policy written on the walls of oppression everywhere.

What we did and who we were are just dregs compared to who we are now and how we act when the sword is coming down.

In her orchard the trees had been born from deaths

... the desire for truth must take precedence over all other desires.

I really didn't want to have my name on the center, because it just seemed like it was too much of a personal thing.

We just want to walk. Our legs need to move to keep our minds from collapsing.

I've been called 'musically schizophrenic,' and some people think that's a cool thing.

I wanted to show that an African-American artist could make it in this country on a national level in the graphic arts. I want to be a strong role model for my family and for other African Americans.

Ah, if I could only pray the way that dog looks at meat.

I think whether you've got children or not you're just more aware of others as you get out of your 20s.

I did study Shakespeare, that was sort of my thing; I got a Literature A-level, which is my only claim to academic fame.