“From the day of its birth, the anomaly of slavery plagued a nation whi...” — W. E. B. Du Bois Quote

“From the day of its birth, the anomaly of slavery plagued a nation which asserted the equality of all men, and sought to derive powers of government from the consent of the governed. Within sound of the voices of those who said this lived more than half a million black slaves, forming nearly one-fifth of the population of a new nation.”

“Rule-following, legal precedence, and political consistency are not more important than right, justice and plain common-sense.”

“My autobiography is a digressive illustration and exemplification of what race has meant in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.”

“Make yourself do unpleasant things so as to gain the upper hand of your soul.”

“But what of black women?... I most sincerely doubt if any other race of women could have brought its fineness up through so devilish a fire.”

“For fifteen years, I was a teacher of youth. They were years out of the fullness and bloom of my younger manhood. They were years mingled of half breathless work, of anxious self-questionings, of planning and replanning, of disillusion, or mounting wonder.”

“The man who didn't want his wife to work has been succeeded by the man who asks about her chances of getting a raise.”

“I don't consider myself a feminist, but I feel very empowered as a woman, and I've used all my resources widely. I believe in equality, but that's just naturally happening. I still want a door opened for me, to be treated like a lady, but I also want equal rights for women, of course.”

“When we say the Black church, we have never meant anything racially exclusive by that. The Black church is the antislavery church. It is an independent Christian witness that literally emerged fighting for freedom and insisting that the gospel is about equality, justice and inclusive humanity.”

“Is it written that equality between men and women means one can change sex? Obviously not.”

“The Obama years will be remembered as a cultural - and legal - tipping point for equality for all people who do not identify as strictly heterosexual, arguably the civil rights movement of our times. The president signed the bill repealing 'don't ask, don't tell.' The Defense of Marriage Act was struck down by the Supreme Court.”