Noma Dumezweni

• “I find that phrase reductive. I'm a black woman and I'm an actress who plays a character named Hermione. J.K. Rowling wrote a story that empowers young girls—and not just white or brown or black or Asian girls. My privilege is that children can now see me and imagine themselves as the characters, too.”

• “If you can’t imagine yourself in one of those boats, you have something missing. They are dying for a life worth living.”

• “If I could bring back one trend it would be looking people in the eye; acknowledging their presence with a simple ‘hey’ or nod as they pass you by. People more often seem shocked when I smile and say ‘hello’. It brings them into the present. We need that.”

• “I may only have three lines, but you are going to see me because I know I’m going to react. I’m going to be present.”

• “I'm looking at my mixed-race daughter growing up and trying to navigate her places. I really think of the world as post-George Floyd and pre-George Floyd. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, white people were able to see how other people existed. It's not about politics. We are diverse humans, in our abilities, but we represent so much more than just “diversity.” Our humanity is the thing.”

• “Any time you get low, sit in it but don’t indulge in it. I wasted too much time worrying about what other people thought about me. Forward motion – that’s what I’m doing now.”

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Noma Dumezweni across IJR