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After Obama became president, I realized that black people could not have put him in the White House - it had to be a collective effort of everybody in the country.

Several people have told me that one of the most meaningful events they could attend would be something at the White House with their children.

What people see the first family do has an effect. And from a slightly different aspect, I think that family living in the White House is going to have a profound effect on many Americans.

We were the only black family in my neighborhood for many years. Wherever we lived, we were often the only black family, and certainly the only Haitian family. But my parents were really great at providing a loving home where we could feel safe and secure.

I think it is so great right now that we are in an age where there's an African American president in office. I think it is important for our generation to really witness that.

I think this Occupy Wall Street thing is great. I think that is a good thing and that people need to stand up, voice their opinions, and be heard.

To go to the White House is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In fact, the building is not that big.

I've gotten a firsthand view at the destruction that black men and black women not being able to stay and build healthy relationships has had on the black family and black children.

There's a time when it was an event for a black person to be on television. Where black households would gather around, 'Oh, you know, Sammy Davis is going to be on 'All in the Family' tonight! Let's go check it out!' It was a big, big thing.