I am definitely clapping it up for Viola Davis this morning! She walked away with the Emmy for Lead Actress for a Drama last night. This is a huge deal as no other Black woman has done this before. But she took the inspiration even further when she gave an emotional acceptance speech and spoke on the reality of Black women in television.
It’s no secret that the number of African American females rocking the small screen is improving. Last night was proof of that as other notable winners were Regina King who won Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her role in American Crime. (This was also her first Emmy so a HUGE congrats to her!)
But Viola reminded us of how much room there is for progress in her acceptance speech, which moved Scandal actress Kerry Washington to tears.
She said in part, “Let me tell you something, the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.[ Applause ] You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”
See her full speech below.
In perfect form, Taraji P. Henson who is taking over for her role as Cookie on Empire, presented Regina with the award. I have to note taht Taraji’s reaction was THEE BEST.
Take a look.
Uzo Aduba who stars in Netflix’s hit Orange Is The New Black also was a winner for the evening for Supporting Dramatic Actress.
Congrats to all of the winners!
