Whenever I talk to survivors [of a domestic abuse relationship] who have lived through that and are on the other side and their whole perspective on ….

Study! Study ! Study! Get an education..

You know what's funny is that I have this ongoing relationship with the city of Washington D.C. I went to George Washington University, and my nickna….

I really love research. It's one of the things I love most about my job. I feel like it's me in the lab cooking up the character..

I think that the best day will be when we no longer talk about being gay or straight - it's not a 'gay wedding,' it's just a 'wedding'... It's not a ….

I have to do the work of self-love and affirmation, and say, "I am a woman, I am a person of color, I am the granddaughter of immigrants, I am also t….

I don't think I'm even close to fulfilling my potential. And I think also that, unlike a pianist or a flutist, an actor has an instrument that is con….

People don't think about the fact that when Barack Obama's parents had him it was illegal for them to be married in several states in this country. S….

The No. 1 reason women stay in abusive relationships - because they're not able to take care of themselves financially. It's also the No. 1 reason wh….

Learn to embrace your own unique beauty, celebrate your unique gifts with confidence. Your imperfections are actually a gift..

Idea of holding each other’s hands at the Women’s March—it feels like we are being invited to do that every day. So many of us are feeling attacked, ….

I think all of us in our lives feel like we can't make a difference or we can't make a change or it's too late or we're too tired or we're too scared..

You're able to make a real difference. If a woman's able to step away financially, she's able to begin to do all the other work..

I'm here not just as an actress but as a woman, an African-American, a granddaughter of Ellis Island immigrants, a person who could not have afforded….

I don't have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect and beautiful journey of my life..

It is important to have friends and family around that I love and trust and who love and trust me..

I'm doing this play right now, the new David Mamet play. It's called 'Race,' and it's very interesting how people really leave the theater filled wit….

As long as anyone anywhere is being made to feel less human, our very definition of humanity is at stake, and we are all vulnerable..

My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don't know why I wouldn't seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the d….

I always prided myself on the fact that I could live out of milk crates forever. It was kind of my way of detaching from materialism..

When you leave here today and commence the next stage of your life, you can follow someone else's script, try to make choices that will make other pe….