I've always been able to make choices that don't embarrass me.

Kids made fun of me because I was dark skinned, had a wide nose, and was dyslexic. Even as an actor, it took me a long time to realize why words and letters got jumbled in my mind and came out differently.

Mother Earth is in pain and ailing because of global warming.

But rarely have I made choices that made me feel I was really compromising what I believe.

I've always been able to make choices that don't embarrass me.

Some of these things I saw in foreign films - African films, Cuban films - long before I decided to really go on this course as an actor. I started to think about what values I saw in those films that I wanted to bring to my projects

It's also important for those who promote those issues within the white community - the somewhat privileged community - to talk about issues affecting people of color.