I Am And Always Will Be A

That I Am A National Figure Because I Was The First Person In 192 Years To Be At Once A Congressman, Black, And A Woman Proves, I Would Think, That Our Society Is Not Yet Either Just Or Free.

I've Always Met More Discrimination Being A Woman Than Being Black...men Are Men.

I Stand Before You Today As A Candidate For The Democratic Nomination For The Presidency Of The United States. I Am Not The Candidate Of Black America, Although I Am Black And Proud. I'm Not The Candidate Of The Women's Movement Of This Country, Although I Am A Woman, And I'm Equally Proud Of That. I Am Not The Candidate Of Any Political Bosses Or Fat Cats Or Special Interests... I Am The Candidate Of The People...

I Was The First American Citizen To Be Elected To Congress In Spite Of The Double Drawbacks Of Being Female And Having Skin Darkened By Melanin. When You Put It That Way, It Sounds Like A Foolish Reason For Fame. In A Just And Free Society It Would Be Foolish. That I Am A National Figure Because I Was The First Person In 192 Years To Be At Once A Congressman, Black And A Woman Proves, I Think, That Our Society Is Not Yet Either Just Or Free.

The Constitution They Wrote Was Designed To Protect The Rights Of White, Male Citizens. As There Were No Black Founding Fathers, There Were No Founding Mothers - A Great Pity, On Both Counts. It Is Not Too Late To Complete The Work They Left Undone. Today, Here, We Should Start To Do So.