“Back in the day parents were there together to see their children become successful, and that’s a great loss today”

   “To educate the children with nothing and get them to become promising adults was awesome.”

“I wish that people would be treated by the person that they are and not by the color of their skin, not the gender that they may be but to be able to be really respected for who they are” Paula Cook

  “I think that if anyone has it in their heart to try for something and do there best there’s nothing that’s impossible.” Paula Cook

“Be proud of who you are and love what you’ve come from and be your best.” Paula Cook

"I think I learned that education was one of the most important things that you could have."  Bill Dixon

"I think that all of us exhibit a certain amount of prejudice—that’s human nature.  And you can hate this or hate that. But I think when you apply that to a group of people, and deny them their basic rights, then that is racism.  And I have always believed that, and I will believe it until I die.” Bill Dixon

"[Integration] wasn’t an immediate process [in Carroll County].  I learned this myself a while ago after talking to a friend" Bill Dixon

"[Obama’s election] was a vision.  I think everyone assumes that one day it is going to happen—that somebody is qualified enough, and the stupid prejudices that we live with every day are gotten rid of, it can happen…If you pulled the skin off of every one of us, you couldn’t tell the difference." Bill Dixon

"You know everybody has things that they like out remember in those quiet moments, and things you’d like to tell your kids about, especially my grandkids, because they don’t have any idea about what we experienced, and when you tell it to them [they say], 'oh granddad, Dad, that never happened.' It did happen, and I don’t think anybody, any black person, should not understand what we had to go through.  We’re not bringing up the past—I mean, people ask you, 'Why are you bringing up the past—it’s over.'But if you don’t change the present, you are doomed to the past, and it can happen." Bill Dixon

"There’s no message—I just think that people need to love each other—that’s the most important thing in this world.  I think the hatred…that we harbor and keep in our mind is the worst thing that we can do.  People need to control their tempers.  Their words can hurt people in more ways than one." Bill Dixon