Quotes About Representation

Really go out of your way to hire women, people of color, homosexuals, transgendered people - go out of your way to hire them.

I look for us - people of color in Hollywood, to create more stories as writers, directors and filmmakers, creating more opportunities for ethnic actors. At the end of the day, we have to be the ones giving jobs and telling the stories, not just waiting to be hired.

I actually then went on to direct an after-school special where one of the characters was deaf. They hired me without even knowing I had any connection to the community.

I've been on predominantly 'white' shows before, and I had also been on predominantly 'black' shows. I would complain that when I was on a white show, they would only hire me because there was a black character or they needed a black voice. But then I would be mad if they went and hired a white dude in my position.

It's important to push the agenda of hiring women directors.

I like to consider myself an actor who just happens to be Hispanic.

When I was a little kid, I don't remember looking up and seeing so many Hispanic athletes out there.

Having someone from Washington, California, or Chicago come in as a verifier, it shows the Hispanic community that Hispanic leaders support me.

A lot of my friends who are white are like, 'Dude, I can't get an audition; it's all Hispanic and black.' It's about time.

I can't tell you how many resumes we get from business schools across the country from black women and black men and Hispanic women, men, etcetera, who say I'm interested in working for your company because they can see someone at the top who looks like them.

I'm very proud of the fact that I am of Hispanic descent.

I've seen very few Hispanics and blacks who have been able to work their way into the advertising end of business.

People represent their constituencies and have particular interests based on who they are and the experiences that have formed them. You don't have to be a child to be an advocate for children. You don't have to be a woman to be an advocate for women. You don't have to be Hispanic to be an advocate for Hispanics.

As one of the very few black historians who, from time to time, appears on TV, my daily life is a constant, open-air focus group.

Lots of historians are sniffy about re-enactors.

When our Founding Fathers wrote the historic words 'all men are created equal,' they probably didn't have people like me in mind.

It often disturbs me, when I see a film set in a historical time, that the people are too modern.

Why do we always have to see black people in hindsight? Why are the Hollywood movies always historical? What about the contemporary image of black people?

People always ask me, 'Why so many historical dramas?' Because those are the best roles I get to play, and I get to play heroes in those roles.

There are fewer representations of black figures in the historical record.

Creating more characters that represent historically marginalized and historically disenfranchised people in television and film is certainly important.

I want to push the boundaries on the roles that have historically been given to actresses who look like me. There is so much more we can do. There always has been.

Acting was a hobby for me when I started out, or maybe it was because there weren't a lot of examples of me when I found an interest in this art form.

I'd love to be a role model for black kids, whether they play hockey or not.