I had very supportive parents that made the way for me even at a time when there were very few women - no women really maybe two or three women - and very few fewer than that African-American women heading in this direction so there were very few people to look up to. You just had to have faith.

Since I was an atheist for many years and came to believe in God through my studies in science it frustrated me to see students and parents who viewed faith and science as enemies.

Thank goodness I had a great family growing up a great foundation. But I will say my faith my parents my family all that stuff is very very important. And I'll say that until the day I die.

Everything I am I owe to my faith and secondly to parents who were old school.

I looked at some of the statues of Jesus they were just stones with no life. When they said that God is three I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I believed it simply because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

The parents have a right to say that no teacher paid by their money shall rob their children of faith in God and send them back to their homes skeptical or infidels or agnostics or atheists.

My parents shared not only an improbable love they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name Barack or blessed believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.

It was seldom that I attended any religious meetings as my parents had not much faith in and were never so unfortunate as to unite themselves with any of the religious sects.

My work ethic came from my parents and my fear of failure. I came from a small predominantly black school and I didn't want to let them down.

As might be supposed my parents were quite poor but we somehow never seemed to lack anything we needed and I never saw a trace of discontent or a failure in cheerfulness over their lot in life as indeed over anything.