"I grew up in a really small town (in Tennessee) and there were only two black people. I was raised to think the inner city was a dirty place and black people were the reason for welfare and all that. And I realize now that that isn't true. I've dated black girls. I wonder what would happen if I took a black girl home for Christmas."

"…I visited New York and everyone was rude. I didn't know what to think. Then I realized it was my accent and everyone perceived me as stupid. One guy told me, 'When I first met you, I thought you were retarded,' (laughs). Then we talked about politics and it was OK."

— Elliott Graves, 22, an airplane mechanic, Macintosh camera technician and business student at Belmont University in Nashville