I had no idea that history was being made. I was just…

Black people have always been America's wilderness in search of a promised land.

— Cornel West

I am the dream and the hope of the slave

— Maya Angelou

I refuse to accept the view . . . that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.

— Martin Luther King, Jr

Hate is too great a burden to bear…

— Coretta Scott King

Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.

— Susan L. Taylor

Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face.

— Carol Moseley Braun

The United States has been called the melting pot of the world. But it seems to me that the colored man either missed getting…

— Thurgood Marshall

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can…

— Martin Luther King Jr

The potential for greatness lives within us all.

— Wilma Rudolph

Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations.

— Mae Jemison

I have observed this in my experience of slavery, that whenever my condition was improved, instead of increasing my contentment; it only increased my…

— Frederick Douglass

Unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

— Martin Luther King, Jr

To be an American is not...a matter of blood; it is a matter of an idea--and history is the image of that idea.

— Robert Penn Warren

The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

— Rosa Parks

“People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, [...]…

— Rosa Parks