Franchesca Ramsey

“For a black activist, for an activist of all walks of life, the Internet has become this kind of meeting place where we can exchange ideas, where we can learn from each other, where we can get inspired about new ways that we can make changes within our own communities and own homes.”

“People feel like using the word 'joke' removes responsibility for the hurt their words may cause. It doesn't; in fact, it may make things worse.”

“The main problem with cultural appropriation comes from dominant groups 'borrowing' from marginalized groups who face oppression or have been stigmatized for their cultural practices throughout history.”

“With 'Decoded,' the goal is to just keep pushing forward and challenging ourselves to tackle important subjects in creative and funny ways.”

“When I started in 2007, YouTube was just a fun hobby for others and myself.”

“I can recall an instance where I was in a meeting at work giving a presentation in front of my board of directors. I was taking questions at the end and someone asks, 'Is that your hair real?' The man then reached out and started stroking my hair. It was completely bizarre to me.”

“I'm obsessed with cute gym clothes in bright bold prints, so as soon as Mara Hoffman expanded into activewear, I knew my wallet was in danger.”

“Women really love their hair. Like, our hair is very important.”

“Unfortunately, oftentimes people hire and give opportunities to people that look like them. They don't realize how much their own internal lives or privilege gets in the way of looking for people outside of the traditional spaces where they always find people.”

“My ultimate goal is to make people laugh and make them think, which isn't always an easy task.”

“When I get to meet my audience when I go speak at colleges or when I'm walking down the street, it's been really eye-opening how many people have been touched to see someone that looks like them on television.”

“You have to realize that people are always going to be confused or sometimes threatened by someone who has the confidence to do something different.”

“In reality, there are tons of unrepresented voices that we don't see in comedy.”

“'Decoded' is definitely close to my heart.”

“People feel really uncomfortable talking about race and identity, largely because the subject is so taboo.”

“If you're brave enough to search 'Franchesca Ramsey' on YouTube, you'll find a sea of ranting white dudes pinning the 'angry black woman' stereotype onto my smiling face.”

“I'm very self-deprecating, so I'm not afraid to make jokes at my own expense, and I've just found that makes people a little more comfortable and can open the door for people to feel a little bit more understanding and accepting of where you're coming from.”

“Black people come in so many different bodies, genders, and sexualities, so it's important that we're conscious of that so we can fight for a world that embraces and uplifts black people of every kind. Our voices are powerful and have the ability to make change.”

“The biggest thing I try to do is to unplug and give myself time away from social media and the Internet.”

“Social media, unfortunately, just makes it a lot easier to be jealous. It sets up false expectations of reality, so it's really easy to look at someone else's life online and assume that they have everything going great for them and that their life is perfect.”