African Americans

""A master in his craft, he possesses a natural skill in every aspect of his career, bringing musical compositions to life with his own signature flair. However, Hardy is also constantly pushing himself to evolve and challenge himself in new areas of his career, whether it’s taking on new genres of music or new projects, he does so with determination and an extremely charming and amenable attitude that has made him a natural star in whatever role he’s in.”"

"Me, Dr. Harmon, and the rest of the NOCO Center for Arts Entrepreneurship are so excited to have Mr. Hardy be a part of our team, serving as the Senior Director of Operations and Artist-Entrepreneur in Residence for the center!"

"People who are more privileged might have a history of violinists in their heritage. I’m the only musician in my family, which makes it a little difficult with questions like: “What College should I go to?” or “Where should I be playing?” It is difficult, and there are a lot people telling you not to [pursue it] because it’s so hard. Sometimes it can feel discouraging, but I’m someone who’s very driven all the time, especially in the face of negativity. It’s rare, in theatre, to see someone who looks like me and writes music, so that also drives me."

"The purest way to communicate the human condition is through the beauty of music."

"Ultimately I think about who I want to inspire, and I think it’s important to have people who look like me to inspire other people from my community to join orchestras."

"Another highlight was performing for Nas at his Watches of Switzerland and Haute Living event last year. Although I felt prepared as I arranged the backing tracks for my performance, I was extremely nervous. I honestly couldn’t figure out why because I have over 21 years of experience performing around the country, but this performance felt different. Maybe it was the legend himself or maybe it was extremely important to me, but I haven’t experienced a performance like that in a while. It’s funny that friends and family members of mine were telling me about how much they love Nas, the impact he had on their lives and how cool it was that I’d be performing for him. An old teacher of mine used to tell me, “if you’re nervous, then that means the performance is very important to you.” It’s quite possible that’s what it was, or it’s that I was star-struck, or I kept thinking about my family. I ended up having a great time performing and felt silly I was nervous to begin with."

"Mama, now I can breathe,...“This is a classical piece that reflects our current time, and as an artist, that is my job–to bring light into the darkness, to convey the pain of what I witness and experience, to inspire change…and, if I’m lucky, to escape the reality of America. Music is, and will always be, my therapy."

"He’s stuck with me for life."

"“We have a farm outside of Atlanta, Georgia, about 17 acres … We have a couple of goats, some chickens, some vegetables, and it is our joy.”"

"My greatest job I’ve ever had is being a mother … It tops everything."

"A week ago I lost my big brother, but I gained an angel… I love you… I miss you… We got our girls."

"My peers and teachers at Cardinal Ritter held up HBCUs as the goal to aspire to, and A Different World, with Lisa Bonet's Cosby Show character off at the fictional Hillman College, was a pop cultural force at the time. I loved watching Whitley, Kimberly, Freddie, and Dwayne Wayne. They made college seem like a dream that was within reach for me."

"No one was there except for the two people to know exactly what happened. All I can speak to is the man that I know and I love."

"There was no knowledge on my part about his specific actions, but… There was just energy. And that type of sinister, shadow energy cannot be concealed .. When your primary male figure couldn't care less to show up, that can become a theme in your life where you’re trying to fill this gap with these different men"

"I think what a lot of people forget is that this is our heritage."

"We live on a farm so my husband built me a greenhouse and we’re in the process of planting, taking care of chickens and goats and really just enjoying time as a family."

"2025 is the year of joy for me!! The question I have started asking myself before every decision is, ‘Does this bring me joy?’ If the answer is yes I move forward… If not I lovingly decline."

"Sasha is one of our biggest stars with some of the best charisma and potential. And on top of her athleticism and her storytelling abilities, she just shines. When she walks out, you pay attention. I love her attitude and just everything about her."

"Sometimes you just have this energy that is palpable. It’s like when Lita and I first faced off. People felt that. When The Rock and Austin faced off, they felt that. When Sasha and I faced off, I felt it too. It was a good moment. Will we follow up on it? If there is an opportunity, perhaps. Did I wish this was a SmackDown tour? Yes, I did."

"During the pandemic, we didn't have live events. We found a way to get a ring and we got a warehouse. There is so much passion in that building. Sasha Banks would drive two hours to come train with me on Monday nights. We would set a timer -- when I speak about passion, Sasha has to be recognized. For no reason, even when she didn't have a match at WrestleMania, this is way before that, once TJ and I got our ring, she would drive a couple hours, get in the ring, and our goal was to wrestle for one hour straight. We'd turn the timer on and built up from 45-minutes. Imagine a 45-minute women's match, we did it non-stop, no break. She has so much passion, but without a ring, it's hard to find resources. It is by invite only because I want to be with people who share the same passion as me. I want to train and learn from them. Tamina has been coming in there. Everyone has seen the changes in Lana, she'll come in, fly in from LA, and just train."

"I’ve always called it about Sasha Banks. Since the day she debuted, even right before she debuted. She has it all, what you look at in a WWE superstar. She’s an incredible wrestler and an entertaining superstar. The minute she hits the ramp and comes through the curtain, you’re just locked in on her."

"(Nash was asked which current female wrestler he would have wanted as part of NWO) "That would be Sasha [Banks]. I thought her match at SummerSlam that she lost, I thought the psychology was amazing at the end. Yeah, I mean, there was some thought, but there were several times that she had [Asuka] in ? ‘Is she going to tap? No, she’s not going to tap.’ They worked it back and forth, and I thought… I’m not seeing that anywhere else,” admitted Nash. “I mean, I’m seeing it here. I’m seeing it in her match and she’s very attractive. I mean, that goes without saying, but she has that swag. She’s the total package.""

"I give Sasha Banks all the credit in the world," (explaining why he considers the Banks to be among the all-time greats). "She’s a working fool. I mean, she is. She is that good."

"I just think that at that time we were just all at a point in our careers with Sasha and Tamina where we just wanted more and wanted to grow and get better, and there's so much change that's happening in the division and just knowing what such a superstar Sasha was and what she was going to be without a doubt, it was always a pleasure to work with her, to have insight from her, for me, Sasha is like the best we have, in my opinion."

"“The amazing thing about Sasha is that she elevates anybody that she comes in contact with. So she definitely elevated me last night and I am forever grateful to her for that.”"

"(Flair was asked who she considers to be the GOAT of the women’s division) "I don’t know. Who is my GOAT for the women’s division? Well I would say each year, can they have a new GOAT? Right now, Sasha [Banks] has been the GOAT currently right now. From appearance to character work to matches, she’s absolutely killing it.""

"[On making history with Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37] You just have to look at the times. That we can have two African-American women potentially main-event is huge, not just for the world of wrestling but for the world all over. For young women and people of every single color to know that nobody can hold them back from their destination and their purpose in life. To make things happen and grow. Because one day we’re not going to [have to say] “first time ever” for anything. It’s just beautiful people, these beautiful human beings, living life and getting to fulfil their dreams like everybody else. Sometimes in this world, people make you hate yourself. People make you question yourself. People feel like they don’t deserve the world when they need to translate that and know that you deserve everything."

"(On her Hell in a Cell match with Bayley) "For any new fan watching, especially women, I think it’s so cool to see women do it better than the guys. For my match to be so well-received and for fans to say that I had the match of the night... it's just incredible to be a part of this Women's Evolution where just non-stop fans talk about the women and how incredible that we do.""

"“Mercedes, or she’s known as Sasha Banks in her wrestling career, clearly her persona had a lot of flair. I thought it’s really good for this show to have somebody playing a Mandalodian who had all of that fierceness and energy, and also physicality. Because when you’re breaking a new character in that doesn’t have any roots or history in any of the other Star Wars media, you really want to make a strong impression.""

"[On creation of Boss character] "I took that from him (Snoop Dogg). I took things from Kanye West. I took things from Nicki Minaj. My looks, my attitude, the hair.""

"“Mercedes is such a beautiful blend of so many qualities that are phenomenal. She is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met in my entire life. She is grateful and humble. She’s incredibly talented and fierce. She is open to learn. She’s gonna be a superstar and is absolutely amazing. She is so physically capable and makes it look easy. There are certain things I’ve been trained to do as a fighter and actor, but when they do it as a living and as an athlete and they are flying around, it’s very different than me pretending to do it in a foam pit with a bunch of five-year-olds. I really really want to fight with Sasha. I want Katee Sackhoff to show up and be her tag team partner for a WWE match.”"

"It’s crazy what the universe continues to give me. I get shocked every single day. I mean, I’m walking into WrestleMania 37 as the SmackDown women’s champion, about to main event the damn pay-per-view. So I guess you can say I’m doing pretty well. I feel incredible."

"[On 2021 Women's Royal Rumble match] "We just keep on doing the same. We’ll keep on growing. I’m just walking in as the champion, more confident than ever … and I get to sit back and watch these 30 incredible women had a fight for the spot to face me. I don’t need no extra hype for that.”"

"I really felt like during WrestleMania 32, when they introduced the new women's title and dropped the Divas title and dropped the name, it told us, "You're not gonna be in your own little section.""

"From having the women's match cut at WrestleMania 29 just before they went out to women main eventing, the growth is just so beautiful to see. To be a part of it, I'm so blessed to be here at this time."

"[On getting roll in Mandalorian] "I remember getting an Instagram DM from a testing director, maybe around the end of the summer - or it could have been in September, I honestly cannot remember. Instantly, I said, "Okay, let me ask WWE," but my manager said, "No, don't even ask them. Let's just talk to them." Jon Favreau called me; he Facetimed me and told me that he wanted me to be part of the show. And I was just like, "Oh my God, yes." And then everything just happened. It was so fast, and it was so crazy""

"[On working with Asuka during summer 2020] “All I wanted to do was have fun during the summer,” Banks said. “Being 'Two Belt Banks was probably the greatest time I’ve ever had. Working with Asuka, who is probably one of the greatest in the world, I could be in the ring with her every single week and I’d be so happy.”"

"[About her debut in Japan] "Life is too short not to follow your dreams and find happiness""

"I wrote Novitiate because I saw in a nun’s world a unique and profound way to explore the subject of the way women love. That is what remains at the heart of the story for me. … When I finished this movie, I had a new understanding of religion. I have now a deep sense of admiration and enduring empathy for nuns. Not to mention all the extraordinary sacrifices these women were willing to make, in the name of their love and faith."

"[On Boss character] “The first one I did was The Boss because my cousin is Snoop Dogg” Banks said. “I remember at 16 years old going to WrestleMania in Orlando with him and him doing rehearsals and I’m walking down the ramp with him behind him and I see all the girls. I get to see all these friggin’ women that I get to watch every single week and I’m like ‘I am going to be walking down this stage one day, and I gotta do it like Snoop Dogg.’ Everybody around him calls him The Boss, so I’m like that’s a good character, let me take that and turn it up. “I’m the baddest, I’m the greatest, I’m The Boss of NXT. I tried it in promo class, everyone sh** on it except for Dusty Rhodes. Nobody got it, no one understood it except for Dusty. He’s like ‘That’s what I wanted. Keep on coming back every single week and doing that and that’s the sassy Sasha I’ve been dreaming and seeing and wanting you to be.’ It’s so crazy.”"

"[On performing at WrestleMania 36 without crowd] "That was so hard. I was in a little shock at the moment. It was pretty scary at the same time, but at WrestleMania, we always show up, and show out, and do it for our fans. I had to bring it even more for our fans so they could feel it through the television. To have such an incredible match with such incredible women in my locker room? I was just so thankful.”"

"There's a communication that goes beyond the realm of words and we don't even need words to communicate, and when you do use words it just comes from our hearts, and we're offering entertainment."

"Ironically, the imperialist white-supremacist capitalist state, which claimed the black family would be healthier if black men headed households, had no difficult taking men away from households and sending them far away from families to wage war, to sacrifice their lives for a country that was denying them full citizenship. The Moynihan Report did not create gender warfare in black life; it simply validated the sexist beliefs of many African-American men and to a grave extent legitimized their efforts to subjugate black females."

"I am an actor and I'm always going to be an actor and I have fun."

"Power means standing confidently and sitting comfortably in one’s own skin and in their truth. I think as Black Men and Black people that we get so many societal messages telling us one way to be and to conform. I think the strongest thing you can do is sit comfortably in your shoes knowing that you are enough and that you bring enough. To exhibit power or to have power is to grow in your own internal strength, confidence and values knowing that no matter what color or complexion you are or where you come from is that you are enough, and that’s what power means to me."

"I can memorize Shakespearian dialogue faster than modern dialogue."

"What's fair when the hearts and the words don't reach? What's fair when the money don't take things back? It's rare when somebody take your dreams back? (And I'm trippin' and fallin') I care too much, wanna share too much In my head too much, I shut down too I ain't there too much, I'm a complex soul They layered me up, then broke me down And moralities dust, I lack in trust (and I'm trippin' and fallin')"

"Sorry I didn't save the world, my friend I was too busy buildin' mine again I choose me, I'm sorry"

"Beat your ass and hide the bible if God watching"

"Hail Mary, Jesus and Joseph The great American flag Is wrapped and dragged with explosives Compulsive disorder, sons and daughters Barricaded blocks and borders Look what you taught us It's murder on my street, your street, back streets Wall Street, corporate offices, banks Employees and bosses with homicidal thoughts Donald Trump's in office, we lost Barack And promised to never doubt him again But is America honest or do we bask in sin? Pass the gin, I mix it with American blood Then bash him in, you crippin' or you married to blood? I'll ask again—oops—accident It's nasty when you set us up Then roll the dice, then bet us up You overnight the big rifles, then tell Fox to be scared of us Gang members or terrorists, et cetera, et cetera America’s a reflection of me That's what a mirror does"