I think there is definitely a renaissance in the art community of Oakland. Oakland is starting to have self-determination and tell our stories. It's part of the spirit of Oakland.

There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it.

you're not a bad person because you want to be yourself.

The underlying theme in most of these cases is the insistence of more self-determination. And the more I think about these issues, the more self-determination makes sense.

They cannot take away our self respect if we do not give it to them.

Always in life an idea starts small, it is only a sapling idea, but the vines will come and they will try to choke your idea so it cannot grow and it will die and you will never know you had a big idea, an idea so big it could have grown thirty meters through the dark canopy of leaves and touched the face of the sky.' He looked at me and continued. 'The vines are people who are afraid of originality, of new thinking. Most people you encounter will be vines; when you are a young plant they are very dangerous.' His piercing blue eyes looked into mine.' Always listen to yourself, Peekay. It is better to be wrong than simply to follow convention. If you are wrong, no matter, you have learned something and you grow stronger. If you are right, you have taken another step toward a fulfilling life.