Johnnetta Cole

"I stand with all that Dr. Martin Luther King stood for, and I stand with all of you who are gathered here tonight in affirming that we must respect differences among us, We must celebrate our differences until our differences don’t make any more difference."

"There’s an African saying that speaks to the power of one person to make a difference. It says if you believe one creature cannot make a difference, you have never spent the night in a closed room with a mosquito."

"Because of who my family was, we were given this privilege that we were allowed to even try on the dresses."

"But even we couldn’t do it in the light of day."

"I don’t want a new dress. If I can’t try it on in the light of day, I want to stop having to try it on in the darkness of night."

"What you give ought to be in direct relationship to what you’ve received."

"If you have been blessed with a great deal, then you have a lot of giving to do."