My dad worked two jobs and moved us to the suburbs and just being a black person I went through a lot of racism and being called names and being bullied every single day. And it was hard. I didn't have any friends.

I came back from university thinking I knew all about politics and racism not knowing my dad had been one of the youngest-serving Labour councillors in the town and had refused to work in South Africa years ago because of the situation there. And he's never mentioned it - you just find out. That's a real man to me. A sleeping lion.

What I've always said is that I'm opposed to institutional racism and I would've had I've been alive at the time I think had the courage to march with Martin Luther King to overturn institutional racism and I see no place in our society for institutional racism.

Racism is taught in the home. We agree on that? Well it's very hard to teach racism to a teenager who's listening to rap music and who idolizes say Snoop Dogg. It's hard to say 'That guy is less than you.' The kid is like 'I like that guy he's cool. How is he less than me?

If a man like Malcolm X could change and repudiate racism if I myself and other former Muslims can change if young whites can change then there is hope for America.

Racism has been for everyone like a horrible tragic car crash and we've all been heavily sedated from it. If we don't come into consciousness of this tragedy there's going to be a violent awakening we don't want. The question is can we wake up?

You should read history and look at ostracism persecution martyrdom and that kind of thing. They always happen to the best men you know.

I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that's how I operate my life.

Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.

Just as we reject racism sexism ageism and heterosexism we reject speciesism. The species of a sentient being is no more reason to deny the protection of this basic right than race sex age or sexual orientation is a reason to deny membership in the human moral community to other humans.

The funniest racism is the racism between minorities. It's something you don't see dramatized but almost every minority I know who's my age they have these funny stories about their parents stereotyping other minorities.