I apologize for my earlier tweets and now realize I need to check my own privilege.
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She reacted to that victory in incredible fashion.
But the lines that stand out are her indictments of systemic disenfranchisement: “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity”. But this year’s Emmys saw the representation of black women as winners essentially triple – likely inspiring thousands of young women and children of color who yearn to see themselves on screen. And to the to the Taraji P. Hensons, the Kerry Washingtons, the Halle Berrys, the Nicole Beharie, the Meagan Goods, to Gabrielle Union, thank you for taking us over that line. Thank you. It’s probably not up to us to say, no matter our skin colour.
NPR’s Eric Deggans wrote earlier this week that a win by either Davis or Henson would be a first “basically because black women haven’t had many starring roles in TV dramas until recently”.
And, in a sense, Davis’ victory was a shared one – she is the first black woman to ever win a Best Actress Emmy. The Juilliard-trained Emmy victor only recently began starring in projects worthy of her caliber. Whatever her intention, the result was a moment that emphasized that the name was hard and different to Curtis, and with an undercurrent or assumption that most viewers would feel the same and chuckle along with her. Well, I’m not playing along.
Did you check out the Emmys 2015 last night?
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Davis, along with co-nominee Taraji P. Henson (“Empire“), are only the sixth and seventh black women to be nominated for the category in the Emmy’s 67-year history. Padma Lakshmi and Mindy Kaling joined in this trend with their stunning golden-hued gowns. She even wore the gown to her joyous reunion with In-N-Out Burger.
