Testimony is an integral part of the Black religious tradition. It is the occasion where the believer stands before the community of faith in order to give account of the hope that is in him or her.

Can advertising foist an inferior product on the consumer? Bitter experience has taught me that it cannot. On those rare occasions when I have advertised products which consumer tests have found inferior to other products in the same field the results have been disastrous.

Before people complain of the obscurity of modern poetry they should first examine their consciences and ask themselves with how many people and on how many occasions they have genuinely and profoundly shared some experience with another.

I have said it on several occasions several times from this podium that providing a quality education for our children is high on my priority list. I will not stop now.

I have maintained a passionate interest in education which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well in our schools.

The older I grow the more I see the influence of my family on my life. I didn't always see it. It was up to our parents to see that we had our education in a town that hadn't yet realized what racial prejudice was but actually knew and practiced it on occasion.

My mom was on welfare and the occasional food stamp but I have never participated in any of those governmental programs even the ones that kind of work like education scholarships and whatever and I managed to do just fine.

In Seattle I soon found that my radical ideas and aesthetic explorations - ideas and explorations that in Richmond Virginia might have gotten me stoned to death with hush puppies - were not only accepted but occasionally applauded.

Policemen so cherish their status as keepers of the peace and protectors of the public that they have occasionally been known to beat to death those citizens or groups who question that status.

I think a nice romantic dinner should be saved for when you and the girl you're dating or seeing have something special and it's a more special occasion.