"I think that's the most important thing, to be yourself."

"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

"The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time."

"Being a Black woman writer is not a concession to anything. It's a privilege."

"Racism is a distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you from thinking you’re not good enough or that you’re not worthy."