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I am committed to ensure that our 2008 Republican presidential candidates forthrightly address issues of importance to the African-American community.

I have been privileged to have the opportunity to work with many of African American fraternal and social organizations that are active in my congressional district. They all do important work that makes a tangible difference to the quality of life in our community.

I often wonder whether Negroes like myself who are pretty well known help out at all in breaking down barriers.

There are many positive things to say about the black community. No question about it.

If you want a president who will make things better in the African-American community, you are looking at him. You take a look!

Even during my youth, I can recall very few black people living on any kind of public assistance. People were working, doing some kind of job that was useful to the community.

I think the black community is no different from any other community. We need to take responsibility for how we live together. We need to be personally responsible for keeping our streets clean, our schools safe, and our houses peaceful.

Come on, we would be foolish to say that there's never been African-American leads in some capacity, people of color in some capacity, leading shows or what have you. But it hasn't happened enough and in a manner that is an accurate reflection of the world that we live in.

Take the time to discover how African-Americans have had a great impact on this country. In science, education, literature, art, and politics.

As African-Americans, we often spend our time and energy blaming other people for the problems we see around us.