"Working closely with the community during the Great Depression and into the war years, Brown aided and encouraged young African American women during a tumultuous time."

"These women voters have awakened and they expect their views to be properly represented. Women have always been able to bring sound and humane reasoning into everyday life. I believe they are the hope of the country."

"Aja Brown is a trusted leader in the realm of government technology solutions, celebrated for her ability to bring transformative change to communities and governments alike"

"It wasn’t too hard to sell the women on voting for me. I found there is a little loyalty in our sex."

"It means a lot more than the glamor of being elected. Once you’re elected it means getting things done. It means representing people that have not been part of the process."

"As I transitioned into mayor, I anticipated what I would experience. But I think the biggest surprise for me was, in many ways, how I was resisted from my peers in that space, and in large part because I was a woman, and I was young. While it was very interesting to the outside world, the reality of what I faced every day was just significant resistance and definitely a big shift from what the previous mayors had experienced, in terms of people getting on board with the vision and moving forward."

"In her extensive 20-year career in government administration, Aja is a trusted and respected innovator and impact driver, effectively modeling trusted and human-centered leadership."

"I have really learned the back roads."

"I never thought I would be in politics. My plan was just to work in government– doing the work, making things and places more beautiful, bringing programs to kids. I always loved young people, and I hit a wall when I realized that you can have the most wonderful data-backed strategies and even bring opportunities, but if policymakers don’t have a vision or they don’t want to implement it, then they’ll never make it to the hands of people. That’s how I started looking at politics, as a way to impact change."

"Dr. Brown faced barriers because of her race and because of her gender. Yet she persisted and pursued her dreams as a surgeon, as a teacher, and as a legislator."

"Her background and training as a surgeon, I believe, made her a courageous champion for children, civil rights, and reproductive rights."

"They just will not recognize what we’re saying. It really hurts because now we’re sitting there without any power. We have to take what’s being given."

"Brown's determination, beliefs, and values helped her to break through barriers in other aspects of her life too."

"I tried to be...not hard, but durable."

"She had been told, You’re a girl, you’re Black, you’re poor, and it just can’t be done. But she persevered, and she succeeded."

"Everybody is suffering one way or the other because of things that aren’t being done. They will not listen to us."

"Brown attributed these successes to hard work, persistence, and a thorough understanding of the appropriations process."

"If they’re going to take down my words for telling the truth, that’s OK."

"Former Congresswoman Brown took an oath year after year to serve others, but instead she exploited the needs of children and deceived her constituents to advance her own personal and political agendas"

"I was proud to be a role model, not because I have done so much, but to say to young people that it can be done."

"Former Congresswoman Brown chose greed and personal gain over the sacred trust given to her by the community that she served for many years."

"Gloristine Brown may come from a small town…but she gets BIG things done in the State House."

"Eunice Allen see the Indians comeing And hoped to save herself by running And had not her petticoats stopt her The awful creatures had not cotched her Nor tommyhawked her on her head And left her on the ground for dead."

"Every day I problem solve and develop reasonable solutions and opportunities to help neighbourhoods, young families, seniors, businesses, and workers move forward in our rapidly changing city."

"She will listen to these leaders’ opinions when voting on issues of importance to their communities."

"Councilmember Bonds is also deeply concerned about shielding senior citizens from physical and financial abuse and neglect and ensuring that they have the resources needed to age in place."

"Taking a strategic and results-oriented approach, Councilmember Bonds conducts rigorous oversights of the committees under her purview and has helped to direct hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to critical public programs and services that benefit residents of all socio-economic backgrounds."

"While at Berkeley, Anita developed a passion for progressive politics and advancing the civil rights and women’s rights movements."

"Anita believes in the promise of every student to learn, grow, and succeed in an increasingly competitive job market and she truly understands that a quality education is the best way to combat the social pressures that many of our students encounter."

"Selfless, dedicated and an experienced coalition builder, Anita exemplifies the best definition of a community organizer. Her passion for people and the community is unparalleled."

"If we are going to bring Angelenos inside and move our city in a new direction, we must have a single strategy to unite our city and county and engage the state, the federal government, the private sector and every other stakeholder."

"I don’t believe the way to show my strength is by fighting. I believe the way to show my strength is by winning."

"Making history with each of you today is a monumental moment in my life and in Los Angeles."

"As your mayor, I will never stop working for you, I will continue working with you to make sure our agenda and our administration truly reflects the full diversity and will of the people of Los Angeles."

"Our interest in better race relations had naturally come as a result of our experiences and our desire to see that this doesn’t continue to happen"

"I went to law school and I enjoyed law school. However, I was met with many obstacles, but I was strong enough then not to let them worry me. And I also realized that on the campus…I had become really a pet."

"Work hard and prepare perfectly for every case and devote yourself to further causes which advance improvement of all phases of the human condition and spirit."

"When I entered Penn’s School of Education in September 1915, I was convinced I had the ability to succeed."

"I wasn’t thinking about marrying Raymond or anybody else because I had things on my mind that I wanted to do."

"I knew well that the only way I could get that door open was to knock it down; because I knocked all of them down. Don't let anything stop you"

"If I would tell you my medical history, you would agree with me that I was destined to live for some years."

"A famous jazz musician walks into a studio while the engineers are listening back to a recent recording. The musician is awe struck by the drumming and asks, "Who's playing drums?!" The engineer responds, "It's Elvin Jones," to which the musician then asks, "Then who's playing the cymbals?" This corny jazz parable sums it up. Elvin's drumming is an avalanche of sound that is at times incomprehensible, yet mind-blowingly musical. Power and grace. Listen to John Coltrane's "Sunship" and have your face melted."

"With his instantly recognizable biting and clear tone, tenor player Sonny Rollins, who turns 83 in September, is regarded by some as the greatest living saxophonist today. Inspired by Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins, Rollins had an ability to rarely repeat himself when improvising, even during lengthy solos. He was just in his mid-twenties when Saxophone Colossus was released, and the title of the disc was more than fitting. Rollins was already a titan of the tenor evidenced by cuts like "St. Thomas," one of his most well known compositions."

"At age 17, he had a radical conception of the drums that rocked the world then and sounds as fresh today. You can tell he’s hearing the music in slow motion. He could see the forest, so to speak."

"You listen and think, "That guy sure plays some crashing and unpredictable things behind Miles," but then you listen closely and every note of his ride cymbal is somehow the exact same volume, like a typewriter."

"I have observed that, in jazz, all roads lead back to Louis Armstrong. But Louis’s road began with the man he honoured as his inspiration, idol and mentor, Joe ‘King’ Oliver. During World War I, Oliver was the cornet king of New Orleans, and in 1919 he went north to Chicago, where he won similar renown with his Creole Jazz Band, dazzling dancers, listeners and musicians with the sound of Crescent City jazz. Oliver had been a father figure to young Armstrong, and in 1922 he invited his protégé to join his group in Chicago. Armstrong’s brilliance was already evident, and his arrival transformed the Oliver band from a classic ensemble to a legend. It’s our supreme good fortune that the next year the group put much of its repertoire on disc – 37 sides which constitute the first unequivocal demonstration of the expresssive potency of jazz, in all its variety and fire. While it’s easy to marvel at the immensity of Armstrong’s burgeoning talent, the overwhelming effect of these records is the power of the Creole Jazz Band as a whole. With King Oliver firmly at the helm, the group achieves a level of focused energy and invention that is simply irresistible. In accord with New Orleans practice, theirs is largely an ensemble music – solos tend to be short, adding colour to the overall texture. But the definition of the individual voices is a constant delight, as is the unflagging, pulsating swing."

"When Freddie Hubbard died at the end of 2008, it was sobering to think that the younger generation of jazz fans might not be sure who he was. Aged 70, the trumpeter had been largely inactive for almost two decades, his career plagued by lip trouble and a lack of direction. It was a far cry from his 1960s status as a new trumpet king, synonymous with cutting-edge excitement, a key player in most classic sessions of those heady days."