Being born gay, black, and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay black female is.
Interpretation
Pride in one's identity is a powerful act of resistance and empowerment.
Lena Waithe emphasizes that mere existence as a member of marginalized groups does not constitute a revolutionary stance; it is the embrace and celebration of one's identity that challenges societal norms and inspires change. By being proud of her intersectional identity as a gay black female, she asserts her strength and encourages others to acknowledge and celebrate their own unique identities.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of self-acceptance and pride in one's identity.
As a black woman in the industry, you really do have to hold your head higher, stick your chest out, be kind and polite and generous even when you don't want to be sometimes. I learned that and, also, just to never take no for an answer.
Being a black lesbian myself, I roll my eyes a little bit when I see black lesbian characters on shows where it's purely there for decoration. You can just hear it in the writers room... 'What if we make her a lesbian?'
It's weird because I see black gay characters on television all the time, but do I relate to them? Not always, because they're set pieces.
The cool thing about dope black style becoming in style is that the industry has no choice but to try and reduplicate that.
For me, it's about making art that's not good but phenomenal. James Baldwin didn't want to just stay above the fray. Prince didn't think, 'I wonder what the industry is gonna think about 'Purple Rain.'' It's just, is this honest? Is this real? Does this move me? The rest is icing.
I don't want to be white. I don't want to be straight. I don't want to blend in.
Loyalty and obedience to wisdom and justice are fine; but it is still finer to defy arbitrary power, unjustly and cruelly used--not on behalf of ourselves, but on behalf of others more helpless.
A bad war is fought with a good mind.
In 2001, I was being treated for breast cancer, and I was pretty sure I was going to recover.
Do you know how big of an insult that is to me - to say that I had to be brave to confront some ignorant white folks?
Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
All my life I believed I became an athlete through my own determination, but it's impossible to think that being descended from slaves hasn't left an imprint through the generations. Difficult as it was to hear, slavery has benefited descendants like me - I believe there is a superior athletic gene in us.
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