The Way You Get To Know Yourself

I Would Say If You Are Familiar With Our History And The History Of Our Art And Literature That You See A Clear Cut Pattern Of People Wanting To Contribute, Not Only Artistically, But In Some Practical Purpose, For The Benefits Of The Community.

Oftentimes, The Way It Seems To Be Is That Our Artists In Particular Point Themselves Out As Spokesmen For A Certain Constituency In A Community, And Thereby Place Themselves In That Vulnerable Position.

Paul Robeson Once Said That The Artist Has The Responsibility To Either Help Liberate The Community Or Further Oppress It. And I Think That When Eldridge Cleaver Wrote It Down It Was Interpreted As His, But There's A History Of People Saying Things Of That Nature And Meaning It. And What I Do Is In That Tradition, In That Mode.

I Don't Think People In Power Have The Potential To Do Anything Like That To Me. I Feel As Though As Long As Our Music Is Available, Folks Are Going To Hear It.

I Was A Better Writer When I Was Teaching. I Was Constantly Going Over The Basics And Constantly Reminding Myself, As I Reminded My Students, What Made A Good Story, A Good Poem.