From my Irish mother I got my love of learning, romantic idealism, introspective nature, and perhaps most importantly, her love of laughter.

FORBES: Passing It On

But it's also about how much I love her and though she is all of these things that I love her unconditionally because she's my mother.

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That particular boyfriend and I only lasted six months, but I did not visit home for nearly two years until my mother and I agreed that unconditional love meant accepting anyone, of any race, who I chose to spend my life with.

CNN: His parents said, 'Not with a white girl'

"I opted to give my children to my mother, not because I don't love them, " she says.

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Years before this I had fought with my own mother over our family's prejudices when it came to love.

CNN: His parents said, 'Not with a white girl'