“I just want to make sure that I'm taking roles that are positive, real...” — Kat Graham Quote

“I just want to make sure that I'm taking roles that are positive, real, honest reflections of African-Americans because I do think the media can put African-American women in the background. Then, unfortunately, what happens is, subconsciously, our culture begins to assess that as reality.”

“If you're cast on 'The Vampire Diaries,' the likelihood of you dying is very good.”

“I love anything that makes you feel empowered. I'm 'bout that - you can't be scared.”

“I'm into Gucci a lot, like vintage '70s everything. I'm into Versace.”

“I'm somebody who listens to a lot of funk, a lot of James Brown, and I want to be somebody who contributes all that energy to the mainstream.”

“I'm all about high-waisted pants and skirts, pencil skirts, and sheer, long-sleeves in the summer.”

“There are as many quality African-American actors and actresses as Caucasians, but it seems that they get a lot more opportunities.”

“If the only thing that was interesting about Jefferson Pierce is that he is African-American, I don't think we'd have much of a show.”

“I loved the African-American culture, but racism was still a big problem and white America was exactly what I didn't love.”

“There are individuals who are working very hard to promote fear and antagonism towards Islam and Muslims in this country. It's fueled, in part, by the first African-American president that we have. Obama's father was a Muslim and people have used this to arouse hostility against him.”

“I consciously think about the ethnicity of every character that I create and cast. But one thing that is equally important is quality representation. It's not enough to put an African-American in there, a female in there, a gay character in there: How significant is their contribution? Can they drive the story?”