I had never had a deep sense of belonging anywhere. I always felt I was an outsider. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
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. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
I was a lifeguard, camp counselor, the president of the YMCA Leaders Corps. I also took piano lessons. I was a dancer. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
You can be chased home or hit or called names or spit on, and it’s over. You have the memory of it, but it’s very different from the emotional and psychological experience of feeling invisible, of not learning the confidence to stand up in class and speak. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
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. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
Some people are just quiet – they don’t need to be talking all the time and aren’t extroverted, but they’re not necessarily afraid to talk. I’m not really a shy person. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
I’d like to be out in the city every day, listening to what people are saying and asking about what they need. I’d like to inspire others by doing as much as I can to help people who are trying to make a better life for themselves and others. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
I am more than just a label. Why are people so driven to labeling where we fall on the sexual spectrum? Chirlane McCray Read Quote
I went to Wellesley College, and it was really hard for me to get a job after I graduated. I would go into places where I would not see any black people at all in Boston – like, zero. And then in publishing in New York City, it was pretty much the same. I knew that it wasn’t about the value of my work. Chirlane McCray Read Quote
I have the advantage of many perspectives as someone who has lived in different kinds of communities: as a woman, as someone who previously identified as a lesbian, as someone who is a person of color. I’ve had a lot of life, so that informs what I do. Chirlane McCray Read Quote