We need to take a stand, Carter says, but not at the athlete’s expense.

Question: Should we boycott the China Olympics?

Majora Carter: No. I definitely do not think we should be boycotting the China Olympics. I think it would be a good idea if President [George W.] Bush did not show up at opening ceremonies.

But no. The athletes have every right, and they’ve been working all their lives for this, and they should do that. And God bless them.

But being honest, I didn’t have any long-standing involvement with the pro-Tibet movement. But given what I learned about what they were going through, it seemed to me an appropriate thing for me, as a civil rights activist, to do to show support at that level. And I didn’t expect to be thrown off the route by Chinese Military Guards. Because I thought I was in America, and I thought I had the right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech. But apparently, they didn’t think so. But I’m glad that I was able to use my platform of being an environmental leader to show support for my brothers and sisters in Tibet.

Recorded on: March 17, 2008