I had my schooling right there in the Cotton Club.

It's so nice to get flowers while you can still smell the fragrance.

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

I remember the day tDr. King died. I wasn't angry at the beginning. It was like something very personal in my life had been touched and finished.

Malcolm X made me very strong at a time I needed to understand what I was angry about. He had peace in his heart. He exerted a big influence on me.

I don't have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I'd become. I'm me, and I'm like nobody else.

You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way.