I Grew Up In A Middle-class Family

Freedom Is Never Granted. It Is Earned By Each Generation.

It Does Not Matter What Country We Live In, Who Our Leaders Are, Or Even Who We Are. Because We Are Human, We Therefore Have Rights. And Because We Have Rights, Governments Are Bound To Protect Them.

The United Nations And The Organization Of American States Have Named 2011 As The International Year For People Of African Descent. This Is An Opportunity For All Of Us Around The Globe To Celebrate The Diversity Of Our Societies And To Honor The Contributions That Our Fellow Citizens Of African Descent Make Every Day To The Economic, Social And Political Fabrics Of Our Communities.

I Think What The President [barack Obama] Understands, And What He's Trying To Do, Is That We Have To Support The Arab And Kurdish Fighters On The Ground Who Are Actually Doing The Fighting.

I Am Delighted To Be Here In These New [council On Foreign Relations] Headquarters. I Have Been Often To, I Guess, The Mother Ship In New York City, But It's Good To Have An Outpost Of The Council Right Here Down The Street From The State Department. We Get A Lot Of Advice From The Council, So This Will Mean I Won't Have As Far To Go To Be Told What We Should Be Doing And How We Should Think About The Future.