I Thought Of Singing And Acting As

My Identity Is Very Clear To Me Now, I Am A Black Woman.

In My Early Days I Was A Sepia Hedy Lamarr. Now I'm Black And A Woman, Singing My Own Way.

Music Became My Refuge And Then My Salvation.

You Have To Be Taught To Be Second Class; You're Not Born That Way. But The Slanting Process Is So Subtle That You Frequently Don't Realize How You're Being Slanted Until Very Late In The Game.

I Learned From Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, The Nicholas Brothers, The Whole Thing, The Whole Schmear. [the Cotton Club] Was A Great Place Because It Hired Us, For One Thing, At A Time When It Was Really Rough [for Black Performers].