Abiding Quote by Diane Watson

Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

— Ahmet Ertegun

Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning, Ray Charles changed American music, not once but twice.

— Taylor Hackford

Ray had so much love of life and the music. He had so much integrity. He treated the music with so much dignity and…

— Benny Green

God bless Ray Charles. It was such an honor to meet him and sing with him and actually just to watch him sing from…

— Norah Jones

One of the things I love most about Martin Luther King is that he was willing to sacrifice his popularity in favor of his…

— Cornel West

Finding out that Ray Charles sang country songs but it sounded as soulful as any rhythm and blues record that kind of opened up…

— Michael Kiwanuka

I think you can find some rationales for that if we look at the background out of which he came. Martin [Luther King] had…

— Ella Baker

Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been the last person to have wanted his iconization and his heroism. He was an enormously guilt-laden man.…

— Michael Eric Dyson

You go through the Civil Rights struggle, everybody knew the songs - 'We shall overcome.' Everybody would sing it. Music helped us. James Brown,…

— Geoffrey Canada

“Martin Luther King, Jr., is the most quoted black man on the planet. His words are like scripture to you and, yes, to us…

— Michael Eric Dyson

What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…

— Cornel West

[James] Baldwin was a celebrity. A TV show like Kenneth Clark could put him aside of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He…

— Raoul Peck