"Finding the right people, finding the right pictures, that was the hard part," he said. "My only disappointment in the painting - which isn't over yet - is I want to put a picture of [Rosa Parks] and her husband in the picture because so many times he's been left out of the picture. And what a lot of people don't know is that he was very instrumental in her sitting down because she was inspired by him. He got her involved in the NAACP. Once I get his picture, I'll be finished."

"It seemed that when Rosa passed, it was like the sun came back out and woke the people back up. And I hope they stay woke this time," he said. "It's not enough to just ride on the front of the bus, especially when the bus is going in the wrong direction. But out of all the things that are wrong with America, there's still no better country. And so we chose American House to house this event in the spirit of Rosa Parks."

"[Curtis Lewis] and I are very different in our style. We think differently but we're very much the same," he said. "A lot has been said about Rosa Parks in the last three weeks, and certainly she was a notable American. The tributes have been very moving. I think that all of us have to take people like Rosa Parks into our hearts and into our minds as we relate to each other. So let that be her legacy for all of us. We weren't in Alabama; she's made us all freer."

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