Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy their own particular needs. For my own people, it was important to imagine him as the Great Emancipator, the Moses who led us out of slavery.

I'm a tech geek.

If you share a common ancestor with somebody, you're related to them. It doesn't mean that you're going to invite them to the family reunion, but it means that you share DNA.

I knew that there were black people in Africa, of course, unfortunately because of movies such as 'Tarzan.'

Conspiracy theories are an irresistible labor-saving device in the face of complexity.

The first step toward tolerance is respect and the first step toward respect is knowledge.

Patriotism is best exemplified through auto-critique.

Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.

Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy their own particular needs.

A more humane form of capitalism is about the best I think we can get. Which might sound very reformist or conservative, but that's basically where I am.