11 Quotes by Maynard Jackson

I am still amazed today at how much we influenced America with lighting the candle here in Atlanta on affirmative action.

I look forward to working closely with the DNC under Terry's tenure, ... I look forward to continuing the focus I began in my campaign on rebuilding state parties, election reform and ensuring that no voter and no state is left behind.

It can never again become what it was, ... because you would have to return to the days of segregation.

This is a situation, in my opinion, where Terry is accustomed to saying African-American. His script writers wrote in 'people of color.' He's trying to go from memory and got confused and said

It's not worthy of an apology, ... Listen -- we've got to stop being too picky about this stuff. There is an understanding, by the way, that phrase has a history to it and is not comfortable, but there was no intent here, no animus whatsoever. I encourage everybody to forget it.

Behind closed doors they had what were legendary battles I hear but when the doors opened there was absolute unity. Not a crack could be found. No separation whatsoever. They were locked together for the good of the community.

Politics is not perfect but it's the best available nonviolent means of changing how we live.

If you don't like affirmative action, what is your plan to guarantee a level playing field of opportunity?

I ran because I became convinced after King was shot and killed, and Martin Luther King was one of the great heroes of my life, that politics is not perfect but it's the best available nonviolent means of changing how we live. If we don't like how we live, we can participate in the perfect most revolutionary act in a democracy, it's called voting.