The scales of justice often, in my head, are unbalanced. And so my job is to try to balance out those scales.

Every hard working New Yorker, regardless of their income, race, or gender deserves an equal shot at attaining retirement security.

Our schools should be sanctuaries of learning, not nightmares of cruel and racist behavior.

Only when we ensure that the mistakes of our past are not the vision for our future, will we truly have achieved justice.

I know how fortunate I am and my family are to be healthy.

We still had all our problems growing up as a struggling immigrant family, but Australia was like a breath of fresh air, literally. Playing on grass, having good schools - trees. I didn't even know trees where I'd come from. So from the day I got here, I've loved Australia.

In her second career as a minister, my mother defied a legacy of chauvinism to become a leader of our community, overseeing a church that served as a hub, offering parenting classes, a food pantry, after-school programming, and - in the wake of Hurricane Katrina - a lifeline to those ravaged by loss.

There were two movies that asked me to go to Australia or New Zealand for long periods of time. One was 'Lord of the Rings' and one was 'The Matrix.' But I was actively involved at that time raising my family, and I couldn't really take that time out.