Speaking about race and films, Jackson felt very comfortable transitioning into discussing how his upbringing has informed his decisions, cinematically and otherwise. "I am a product of the segregated south. I was a part of apartheid. There were things I couldn't do. They inform who I am but not how I act."

"I understand something about my country that others don't understand. Like what just happened during that [presidential] election, I get it in another kind of way. I'm not confused or shocked by it. I get it, I lived in it during another time. I understand who those people are who want to make America great again."

When later asked by an audience member about his thoughts on Donald Trump, Jackson said "my agent won't let me answer that question." But he did answer a question about the diversification of Hollywood.

"The business has changed in an interesting sort of way," Jackson said. "There are so many platforms for people to tell their stories and so many stories get told. It used to be that there was a specific feeling that a certain amount of black actors in Hollywood got. When Denzel [Washington] didn't want to do it, it was me or Forest [Whitaker] and it came down to which one of us was cheaper."

"Now they changed the business model so everyone is cheaper, and there's a lot more work and a lot more people working," he continued.

"Like that HBO show, The Night Of, what an amazing piece of work. For average Americans, they would say 'that's some black ****.'"

"Muslims are getting arrested like black kids get arrested; Muslim Americas are the new black kids in America," Jackson then said. "Suspect as we are for the dominant culture, people don't understand them. People perceive them as a threat before even saying hello. But the Muslim community is present in our country. They are a vital part of our country and interestingly enough they have less crime, more education and their businesses thrive more so than any other group in the country. You tell people in the rust belt that, and they're like, 'Get out of here.'"

http://www.yahoo.com/movies/samuel-l-jackson-oscarssowhite-muslim-americans-black-kids-192158343.html