Even though I grew up economically challenged at certain times in my childhood, I was always taught to hold my head up high and be proud and self-confident in who I am. I was also taught that once my foot crosses a threshold, I am where I am supposed to be and I belong in that space, and not to let anyone make me feel ashamed of myself for being there. That I belong there just as much as the next person. My mother instilled a sense of self-worth in me; she also taught me that no man or woman is better than me, that I am equal to everyone else, and I should feel comfortable from the outhouse to the White House.
And speaking of the White House, one summer we took a vacation to visit our cousin in Washington, D.C. She happened to work at the White House, so as a young kid, I actually got to bowl on the President’s bowling alley. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Now, there aren’t too many people alive who can say that they have actually gone bowling on the President’s bowling alley, inside the White House in Washington, D.C. as I have.