Nafessa Williams Quotes

"Disappointment builds character and strength."

"When you follow your dreams, you encourage other people to follow theirs."

"I know what it's like to be in college and not have the budget to fully look the way I want to."

"I think it can be difficult for young lesbian or young gay, bisexual, transgender to come out and be open with who they are because there's such a huge stigma attached to that preference of their sexuality."

"Growing up, I'd watch 'The Cosby Show' and 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air;' I'd look at the little brown girls and be inspired by them."

"I really look up to my mother and the strength that she has built in me, especially the strength in her faith, which has inspired me to turn my dreams into reality."

"My dream is to be on 'Saturday Night Live.' I'm going to do everything to make that happen."

"I believe love is love."

"We all have that superhero inside us, but it's about tapping into it and embracing it and owning it."

"Believe it or not, I am a tomboy."

"I'm always wanting and willing to be a voice for my people, a voice for the injustice."

"It's cool to stay active and keep my body going."

"Will Smith has always been an inspiration for me."

"I believe gratitude leads to happiness."

"Successful artists don't follow trends; they create them."

"I am so proud to be a Philadelphian. I believe there's a different drive and hustle that's instilled in us."

"This is the most rewarding experience ever, taking on the role of Thunder as an actress. I'm just grateful and honored to give my voice to Thunder because she's so bold."

"I didn't have a brown-skinned superhero growing up who wore cornrows and who reflected the inner city where I come from in Philadelphia."

"I followed my dreams and went to Hollywood. My mom was like, 'Wait a minute - I thought you were going to be a lawyer.' I said, 'You know what, Mom? You're going to have to see me play one on TV.'"

"I get my swag from Philly. I get my hustle from Philly. I get my work ethic from Philly."

"I grew up in the inner city. It wasn't a joke."

"If I wasn't from Philly, I couldn't promise you that I would have the same drive and the same ambition because, as a little kid, I always saw myself as making it out, and I would escape with television."

"Representation is necessary, and we all want to turn on the TV and see characters who look like us and represent us in some way."

"My workouts always start with doing some cardio."

"I prefer running on the track because, for me, the treadmill can get a little boring."

"I switch up between going to the gym or exercising outside to run around a track and the stairs of a stadium."

"To come and turn the TV on and see Black Lightning trying to make a change and being a leader and stepping up, I hope that it inspires people within their own communities to try to make a change and to walk in their own superhero."

"I think that's when life began for me: when I started to follow my dreams."

"I graduated with all honors, and I was about to take the LSATs, and I was working at a law firm, and I hated it."

"Sometimes you don't know what is it you want to do until you try it."