“Very few, if any, first-generation black or white or Asian kids will pursue a Ph.D. They'll pursue the professions for economic security. Many will go to law school and/or business school.”
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So many people of color who made major contributions to American history have been trapped in the purgatory of history.
You can say I had a severe case of 'Roots' envy. I wanted to be like Alex Haley, and I wanted to be able to... do my family tree back to the slave ship and then reverse the Middle Passage, as I like to put it, and find the tribe or ethnic group that I was from in Africa.
My goal is to get everybody in America to do their family tree.
My brother and I had a really privileged relationship with my parents... They treated us like adults.