Salim Akil

Black Lightning, Jefferson Pierce, Thunder, and Lightning deserve their own show because they are not 'the other.' They are legitimate superheroes in their own right, and so they deserve the full breadth of exploration. That's what makes them worthy, and that's why they deserve it. They are not 'the other.' They are 'the the.'

I have two little black boys. And a film like 'Do the Right Thing' can help illuminate the times for them with great storytelling.

Come election time, black and white politicians put on their costumes of compassion and care, shake black hands, kiss black babies, sing 'We Shall Overcome' in black , and pray that we will ignore the reality of everyday suffering and the damage that is being done to our future in exchange for our votes.

There are so many families who do not come up in a traditional household. African Americans, Latins, and, I'm sure, whites as well, but there are a lot of men missing in African American communities and in Latin communities.

I think that people in America, unfortunately or fortunately, are just discovering different aspects of the humanity of African-American people. And so I think with that discovery comes, 'Oh, you could be a superhero; you could be president or whatever it is that we thought you couldn't be.'

It's one thing to be a comic book fan, but when you have to create a character and put him in a suit and keep the story grounded in reality, the challenge sometimes is making sure he actually uses his powers.

I remember, as a kid, wearing the Batman costume for Halloween and feeling empowered by that as a kid.

I always approach storytelling with the idea that the audience will get it. They understand almost better than we do, because they get to watch it from an entirely different perspective with new eyes.

In this larger conversation about diversity, we want to really show that we're all the same. We are all experiencing the same stories.

I think my big break was getting out of Richmond, California, alive.

What I saw in Black Lightning, Jefferson Pierce, even the villains, are aspects of myself.

I had been pulled over quite a bit by police officers, especially in Santa Monica and Culver City.