Ten Powerful Quotes From Black Women Creators

Every February we celebrate Black History Month, which honors the achievements of Black Americans and is a time to recognize their indelible part in U.S. history. Below are powerful quotes from Black women creators and displays of their work.

Quotes From Black Women Creators

Alma Thomas, Artist and Teacher

Through color, I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man’s inhumanity to man. ~Alma Thomas

Alma Thomas, The Eclipse, 1970, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1978.40.3

Alma Thomas, Snoopy Sees Earth Wrapped in Sunset, 1970, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1978.40.4

Carrie Mae Weems, Photographer, and Installation Artist

Art is the one place we all turn to for solace. ~Carrie Mae Weems

Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled (Woman and daughter with makeup), 1990. Gelatin silver print, 27 3/16 × 27 3/16 in. (69.1 × 69.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Helen Kornblum in honor of Roxana Marcoci. © 2021 Carrie Mae Weems.

Marian Anderson, Singer and Contralto

As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might. ~Marian Anderson

Van Vechten, Carl, photographer. Portrait of Marian Anderson. , 1940. Photograph.

Augusta Savage, Sculptor and Teacher

“I have created nothing really beautiful, really lasting, but if I can inspire one of these youngsters to develop the talent I know they possess, then my monument will be in their work.” ~Augusta Savage

“Art – Sculpture – Harp (Augusta Savage) – Harp” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1935 – 1945.

Augusta Savage, Gamin, ca. 1929, painted plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Benjamin and Olya Margolin, 1988.57

Zora Neale Hurston, Author, Anthropologist, and Filmmaker

“Love is like the sea. It’s a moving thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from the shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.” ~Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was friends with Carl Van Vechten, famed photographer during the Harlem Renaissance, who took this portrait on November 9, 1934. Courtesy of Yale University Library.

Angela Bassett, Actress

Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us. ~Angela Bassett

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett)

Misty Copeland, Ballet Dancer

Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain and still succeed. ~Misty Copeland

MIsty Copeland: FIREBIRD PHOTO CREDIT ROSALIE O’CONNOR

Josephine Baker, Entertainer, French Resistance Agent, and Civil Rights Activist

You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can’t go wrong. The world is behind you. ~Josephine Baker

Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. “Josephine Baker” The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Faith Ringgold, Painter, Writer, Speaker, Mixed Media Sculptor, and Performance Artist

You can’t sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it. ~Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold, The Bitter Nest, Part II: The Harlem Renaissance Party, 1988, acrylic on canvas with printed, dyed and pieced fabric, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1997.18, © 1988, Faith Ringgold

Zendaya, Actress and Singer

I have standards I don’t plan on lowering for anybody…including myself. ~Zendaya

Euphoria: Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO

Compiled by Erin Prather Stafford
Top image by image by Papa Yaw for pexels