Jerome Boateng Quotes

I've played 100 caps for England, for my country. Being the first black player, I think, is amazing.

If you think about it, I made history. Not only was I the first black British woman to be nominated for an Oscar, I was the first black British person.

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.

When I first heard that Barack Obama was going to be the first black president, I wanted to do the smallest, biggest tribute in history.

I remember getting flowers and champagne for being one of the first black artists on MTV. That was a big deal.

People need to remember that I am the first black driver in F1, so I am obviously going to be different to past drivers.

My grandmother probably never thought she would see a day where, you know, a young black woman would be seen as a leader, which is incredible.

There still aren't many black women on prime-time TV. Times are changing, but it's interesting: we're in 2013 and still experiencing firsts... Hopefully, in the next 100 years, things will balance even more.

Shows like 'Empire,' 'Black-ish,' 'Scandal,' and 'How to Get Away With Murder' are expanding viewers' perspectives on what people of color can be like. They're showing more range. They're showing more diversity within diversity.

It would be extraordinary if the BBC were to make me the first black 'Doctor Who;' it would be extraordinary.

There needs to be more film directors of colour. They bandy about the word 'diversity' a lot, but when I say 'of colour,' I mean Asian, black - I mean people of all colour. We need to have those voices given the opportunity, not told that their films will not be distributed or will not sell well abroad.

In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.

I feel a responsibility to continue creating complex roles for black women, especially young black women.

I give a speech to the black freshmen at Harvard each year, and I say, 'You can like Mozart and ice hockey...' - and then I used to say 'golf,' but Tiger took over golf! - 'and Picasso and still be as black as the ace of spades.'

Obama's a great speaker. Because of his speaking ability and his appearance, a lot of guys got on board. Being the first African American, a lot guys got on board.

As I got further into my career, as a character of color, if I was going to have the types of opportunities I felt I deserved, and continue to have them, I was going to have to start creating those opportunities for myself.

The day will come - and it is not far off - when the legacy of Lincoln will finally be fulfilled at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when a black man or woman will sit in the Oval Office. When that day comes, the most remarkable thing about it will be how naturally it occurs.

I would like to see more films being made with people of color behind the camera and in front of the camera, because the more times at bat we have, the better we get.

People of color and women are increasingly being shown on-screen. For things to be whitewashed just doesn't make sense.

America was magnificently characterized in November of 2008 when we elected, for the first time, an African-American President of the United States.

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.

I think my roles have been wonderfully varied. Not one has been racially stereotypical, and I have purposely chosen them like that.

I think what we need, especially in publishing, is more commissioning editors and editors who are people of colour.

London's not a white city. So why should our catwalks be so white?

When I do a picture and it's 90% black, like 'Bird,' I use 90% black people.