Now get this—when all the Negroes was goin' around straightening their hair and bleaching theirself trying to be white and thought improvement was white, in them days I was provin' to the world that black was beautiful. Me. I opened so many things for Negroes—I'm so proud today of the things that the Negroes is enjoying because I personally did 'em myself.

Interview. Film Quarterly [Summer 1971]