Chirlane McCray

My life was very compartmentalized. I went to a school that was all white, and then I went home and to my black family. ”

I was a lifeguard, camp counselor, the president of the YMCA Leaders Corps. I also took piano lessons. I was a dancer. ”

I like to go to the subway and hear what people are thinking and feeling and what their concerns are. You learn so much that way. You really do. ”

Finding the right person can be so hard that often, when a person finally finds someone she or he is comfortable with, she or he just makes it work. ”

Black women do not have as many positive images in the media as we should. ”

Telling my story has not been easy for me. I've had to dredge up memories I would have rather forgotten. The lonely, anxiety-ridden months I avoided others, attempting to hide from interrogations about my social life. ”

Bad mother' is probably the worst thing you can say to any woman who has children. ”

I wish I had more time to read. ”

It's really hard to get enough sleep, so I try to end my days by 9 P.M. so my husband and I have time to watch TV, chat, and then I like to read for at least half an hour before bed, but we have a lot of events, and there are places to go and people to talk to. ”

Pay equity matters because those dollars add up over time. ”