When they were making black films in the '60s and the '70s, everyone knew their place, if you get my drift. You understand? Everyone knew the rules, and everyone knew their place. Everyone knew what to say. They had the written rules in Hollywood film, and the unwritten rules.

I think about never losing my voice, never giving in, never selling out, always keeping black, always sticking to the street. Staying neighborhood and not Hollywood.

When I was 16 or 17, I saw Lenny Bruce being taken to jail. They took him off stage because he talked about race.

Racism is a form of insanity. Human beings became racist when they started talking. Speech has a lot to do with it.

I can't change the past, but one person can change the future - anything can happen.

What does it mean to be too black for Hollywood? It's self-explanatory. Hollywood has certain kinds of blacks that they like.

You got to remember that slavery's very complex. It has a lot of levels to it.