Dia Reeves...

...on being a black SF author:

The reason I think there are so few of us is because, for black authors, if you want to be taken seriously, you gotta write issue novels. If you write a story about slavery or civil rights or being oppressed in the ghetto or (if you’re really daring) being oppressed in the suburbs, then people will love you and give you prestigious awards and breakdance when you walk down the street.