In her speech, Stout said that socio-economic divisions can interfere with efforts to effect social action.

She recalled a speech she gave at the Law School in which a student commended her words, only to add that they might have been more effective if she had used proper grammar.

Stout's reply: "I use perfect grammar in my community."

"I have tried to understand why this nation has never created the democratic society we said we want," Stout said.

Stout described her method of teaching community empowerment as forcing citizens to commit action themselves, even when organizers might be able more quickly to achieve purposes, in order to tech self-reliance.

Stout's mentor is Septima Clark, who taught such social action luminaries as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

In 1985, Stout founded the Piedmont Peace Project, which works on voter registration and community empowerment in her native area. This fall, she will release a book, Bridging the Class Divide.

In 1995, Stout became Executive Director of the Peace Development Fund in Amherst, where she continues her efforts by providing training and advice for social action groups across the country.

Stout said she was enthusiastic about the response to her speech. She stressed the importance of "alliances with community organizations and universities," and said she wished that "every college campus had an E4A.