Los Angeles: Actress-singer Dana Elaine Owens, known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, says racism is "alive and kicking" in the world.

The 46-year-old star has urged black women to "demand respect" and "change the attitude" of others in order to help change the world's outlook on race, reports femalefirst.co.uk.Speaking at VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens, she said: "Listen, we all know that the world -- and our world -- is really tense right now. It's a lot of tension, it's a lot of angst, it's a lot of hurt, a lot of pain.