You wouldn't be allowed to get on a particular bus, but you'd be asked to sign your autograph.

In my early days I was a sepia Hedy Lamarr. Now I'm black and a woman, singing my own way.

I'm not alone, I'm free. I no longer have to be a credit, I don't have to be a symbol to anybody; I don't have to be a first to anybody.

Don't be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it's just death.

Nobody black or white who really believes in democracy can stand aside now; everybody's got to stand up and be counted.

50 years old is like springtime to me.

I learned from Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, the Nicholas Brothers, the whole thing, the whole schmear. [The Cotton Club] was a great place because it hired us, for one thing, at a time when it was really rough [for Black performers].