Russell Simmons Quotes

I think we're at a really rich and fertile time in the zeitgeist about paying attention to diversity of all kinds - racial diversity, gender diversity, making room for a continuum that is more inclusive.

First and foremost, I want people to have a good read, because I want everything I write to entertain people. There are always different layers to the story, though, so if you want to think about social justice, or sexism or racism or homophobia, or really drill down into why the world is a better place when the police force looks like the people they are policing, then that's there, too.

Diversity is so important for me, particularly in the United States Senate, and it's been important to every job that I've held. Whether you're in government or the private sector, we should be just as diverse as the community that we represent.

I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone.'

Personally, it's a comfort and happiness to know that my work is taken seriously and is not marginalised and put in a box of ethnic immigrant writing in America.

I think it is so great right now that we are in an age where there's an African American president in office. I think it is important for our generation to really witness that.

I'll be truly happy when we're not counting the number of ethnically diverse models on a fashion runway or campaign, when having a representation of the entire human race is the norm and not an exception.

We, the people of South Africa, ...Respect those who have worked hard to build and develop our country: and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.

I am Indian, and my home is Kampala. My world is already diverse. But films are financed by those who want to see themselves on screen, and it is a white male world. Still, it does feel like America is waking up. Let's hope it's the start of an avalanche.

In England, you feel like a member of the revolutionary guard the minute you even mention race. But I do think that the OscarsSoWhite phenomenon will have to reflect back on England. What people are essentially saying is that they want to see more diverse stories. It's not about putting three black people in the back of the shot.

Diversity needs to operate on every level. It's great that the Oscars have highlighted it, but black actors getting nominated shouldn't be the only result. There's so much more that needs to be done.

We want to make tennis look like America when it comes to cultural backgrounds.

Being at the first post-Weinstein Oscars was amazing. It felt like there's a spotlight on diversity.

We've got to celebrate all diverse artists and actors and 'Aladdin' does that really well.

I'd like to see a day when we're less obsessed with stars and give due credit to everyone who is involved in the process of filmmaking and a change in the obsession with fair skin.

I feel like if Hollywood can stretch for inclusion and intersectionality, and being intentional with its intersectionality, that that can ripple out past Hollywood into whatever industry and kind of affect society as a whole.

In order for a person of color to get on a cover of a magazine, they have to do something prolific - winning an Oscar, being the first billionaire, you know, or whatever. I think it's becoming more natural that somebody can get on the cover of a magazine just because they're an amazing person. That's what it should be.

My wish would be for positive representation and more diversity coming from Hollywood.

This moment is so much bigger than me. It's for every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.

Katherine Johnson never complained, it just was what it was. She just said, "I just wanted to go to work and do my numbers." And she stopped right there. I think about that as a Black woman in Hollywood when I'm asked about diversity. I hate when people say diversity because the first thing you jump to is Black and white. When you talk about diversity, you're talking about women being hired in front of and behind the camera. You are talking about people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community...so I hate when people think about diversity.

I enjoy that the most powerful person in Hollywood is indeed a Black woman in Oprah Winfrey. I'm hoping to just transcend beyond that.

I think diversity is very key to anybody's resume, and also for your mental well-being.

On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If it's all white males holding positions, you bring 10 women in, then it's, 'Women are coming!' Get 10 blacks and it's, 'Blacks are coming!' 'Hispanics are coming!' Zero-sum game. The seatmates might change but the chairs don't move. In the economy, the number of chairs can actually increase.

I feel like as a whole, when it comes to the "other" in the US - whatever that looks like for each individual person, whether it be someone who's LGBTQ or someone of color or someone who's just a religion that they've never heard of - whether you're in entertainment or whether you're in any other business, we're not as evolved as we'd like to think.

I think that America is more diverse than ever before, and is continuing to become more diverse, and our content should and is reflecting that.