#black

What people forget is that the most radical thing about Obama is that he was the first black man in history to imagine that he could become president, who was able to make other Americans believe it as well. Other than that, he is a centrist, just like I try to be. He's been bridging divisions his whole life. ↗

— Henry Louis Gates

#about #become #been #believe #black

Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried. ↗

— Henry Louis Gates

#been #black #buried #contributions #go

You can find virtually everybody black back as far as the 1870 census. Why 1870? That's when the ex-slaves first have surnames. But if you find your great-great-grandfather in 1870 and it says he's 50, that means he was born in 1820 and you're back to 1820 already. For an American that's pretty damned good, you know? ↗

— Henry Louis Gates

#american #as far as #back #black #born

I liked the fact that there were so many different representations of black women and black men in the movie. It wasn't like we all had the same agenda. ↗

— Sanaa Lathan

#black #different #fact #had #i

Better have a black face than be worried about black deeds. ↗

— Robert N. Lee

#better #black #deeds #face #than

If we became students of Malcolm X, we would not have young black men out there killing each other like they're killing each other now. Young black men would not be impregnating young black women at the rate going on now. We'd not have the drugs we have now, or the alcoholism. ↗

— Spike Lee

#became #black #each #going #killing

Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith. ↗

— Spike Lee

#been #black #change #cinema #days

I think my work shows that I love women. I understand where these types of criticisms are coming from because black people have been so dogged out in the media, they're just extra sensitive. ↗

— Spike Lee

#been #black #coming #criticisms #dogged

I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I'm still bankable. ↗

— Spike Lee

#advantage #been #black #blessed #express

It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are. ↗

— Spike Lee

#black #brought #comes #define #down