It's better to have your blackness taken away than to stand and lie about who you actually are.

Part of what confuses people in times of upheaval is that you're getting so many different points of view and directions and so and so, how to do this and do that. And a lot of it is written in a language that honestly most people cannot understand.

The most important question in the world is, 'Why is the child crying?'

In my work and in myself I reflect black people, women and men, as I reflect others. One day even the most self-protective ones will look into the mirror I provide and not be afraid.

It's better to have your blackness taken away than to stand there and lie about who you actually are. That's the trap.

Hard times require furious dancing. Each of us is proof.

If you want to have a life that is worth living, a life that expresses your deepest feelings and emotions, and cares and dreams, you have to fight for it.