I do think I can change the perception of the 'Bachelorette.' And not just because of my race.

When you're putting out something that is very whitewashed and doesn't have any type of color in it and you're not trying to be effective and change that... I think that they have to at this point, give us a black Bachelor for season 25. I don't know how you don't.

All mornings should start with a cup of coffee and a good message from Chris Harrison.

My friends mean everything to me, so if you want to me be my lover then you have to get along with my friends!

I feel very indebted to my job. I support the loyalty that they've given me - it's very rare, especially in my profession, that you find people who are not just supportive of who you are as a person, but supportive of you finding love and your happiness.

Whether you say I'm too black, I'm not black enough, this is me. I hope people realize that my journey to love doesn't have to be any different just because my skin is.

My dad is a judge, but he started off as an attorney. He is one of my biggest role models; both of my parents are. So, from a young age, I said I wanted to be an attorney.

It's so unfortunate because people have become so comfortable being mean.

I'm happy to represent myself as a black woman in front of America and I'm happy for America to rally behind me and see what it's like for me to be on this journey to find love. Honestly, it's not going to be that different from any other season of 'The Bachelorette.'

I'm just like, 'Give me all the babies. If we can't have them, we're adopting.'

I had seen my dad overcome and work hard for the things that he has, and I hear the stories about the injustices that he faced.

I'm so humbled and honored to be chosen to represent myself as a black woman to America, and I look at it as such a positive. That's what made me move forward and want to embrace being the first black Bachelorette.

My skepticism doesn't come from no one. There's a root to it, and it's my family.

I like when a guy wears ripped jeans, has a loose-fitting V-neck top and has a pair of kicks. You can't go wrong with a suit either.

I would say an eyebrow pencil - a brush and pencil, I cannot leave home without that. Definitely concealer, just because of traveling all the time. I use MAC, and the color I use is a mix between NC42 and NC45. I cannot leave home without that because I'm blotchy. Otherwise, I would say mascara.

Even though I'm an African-American woman, it's not different from any other Bachelorette.

When I know I want to do something I'm just gonna do it.

You never want to bite the hand that feeds you, but you also do not want to be aiding and abetting problematic behavior.

If the National Football League, an organization notoriously known for not standing behind their athletes of color, can come out to make a statement to condemn racism and their systemic oppression and admit they were wrong for not listening in the past, then the 'Bachelor' franchise can most certainly follow suit.

Sports has always been a thing of mine.

I majored in sports and went to law school and focused in sports law, so I always knew I wanted to do ESPN but thought it would be behind the camera. After doing 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette,' the media circuit, I thought, you know what - I want to talk about it!

I love sports, and people don't realize that.

I keep saying this. I don't think men know what they want. Women are here to help them figure out what it is they want. Like, we're the neck. We tell them to turn left, right, front, back, whatever it is.

Men know what they want when we help them figure it out. We make them think they figured it out by themselves. They really didn't. We know we did it, and that's a woman's job.

I already know what people are going to say about me, and judge me for the decisions that I'm making, and I'm going to be the one who has to deal with that, and nobody else. And that's a lot.

I wouldn't want people judging me for things I did at 18.

It was actually harder for me to decide if I wanted to move forward as 'The Bachelorette' than it was to decide to be a contestant on 'The Bachelor.' I knew I'd have to ask off work a second time, and I waited until the last minute to talk to my boss about it.

My career is really important to me. I've worked hard for it.

I'm actually glad I didn't watch 'The Bachelor' or 'The Bachelorette' prior to being on them. I think if I'd watched them before being a contestant, I would've over-analyzed it or tried to be something else - tried to fit into that world. Because I was so green, I was just me, and I think it was really refreshing to the people watching it.

Knowing that I was potentially going to be the first black Bachelorette actually held me back from wanting to do it. With the first, there's always so much pressure. And I knew I was going to be new to the audience as a lead for a number of reasons - being over 30, being a career woman, and also being black.

It is so easy to fall victim of everybody else's definition of what you should be.

I'm a fan of 'Real Housewives,' so I personally like drama.

Being a lawyer is absolutely stressful in its own right. But then, doing 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' and all the media afterwards, you can imagine, that's just like a whole new level of stress.

I like a confident man.

I love a challenge. I do.

I want four kids.

For 'The Bachelor,' I went through the entire process and was told I was chosen, and then I told my boss... It turned out that my boss was a huge fan of the show, and he was ecstatic. My promise to my firm was that I would do the filming then go back to work, and I did.

I am a never-say-never person.

Especially as a woman, the jury sums you up immediately and is listening to everything you're saying. You have to be on your game all the time, and that prepares you for being in front of the camera. The difference is, when I am in front of a jury, I am not talking about my emotions and my life.

As the first of anything, you're going to be judged. If you accept the good, you have to accept the bad.

Football, basketball, and track are my favorites, but I really enjoy watching all sports.

I'm a trial attorney and I specialize in defense civil litigation. My firm represents businesses and organizations in whatever aspect they get sued, whether it's commercial litigation, to personal injury, liability, contracts, we litigate for them on their behalf.

Well, I was a huge 'Matlock' fan as a child.

I know there are going to be people who criticize what I do no matter what, but I'm just trying to not get caught up in it.

My dad is very supportive about me being the Bachelorette. He realizes what an amazing experience it is.

Pop culture does not frequently depict women of color realizing their happy ending.

Losing a loved one is never easy.

Legends of the Fall' is one of my favorite movies.

Some people can't handle that I'm direct.

I'm real and honest, and I take things day by day. That's just the way to survive.