Staff Writer: Dominque Brodie, ’19
Each fall, the Primetime Emmy Awards show recognizes the best performances in nighttime television. Typically, this award show does a great job of recognizing the most outstanding white actors and actresses. Historically, the Emmy’s have predominantly excluded black actors and actresses in nominations and awards received. That seemed to change during this year’s history making show. This year saw black performers receive an all time high of 18 nominations.
The Academy’s recognition of these black performers is important because it challenges the typical notion that black performers are less talented or less capable than their white counterparts.
This representation of blackness gives up-and-coming black performers an outstanding set of performances to aspire to. Seeing people who look like us in the highest levels of artistic achievement plays a vital role in the collective uplift of the black community, and specifically that of black performers.
This year’s awards garnered much attention for its atypical acceptance and recognition of black actors and actresses, causing some to call it “The Blackest Emmy’s Ever.”
This recognition is hopefully indicative of changing tides within Hollywood. Over the last couple of years, there has been a resurgence of African Americans in leading roles in primetime television. While positive roles for black people, specifically for black women, are still rare, there have been many breakthrough stars recently. Some of these are Gabrielle Union (Being Mary Jane), Tika Sumpter (The Haves and the Have Not’s) and of course the actresses of uber popular #TGIT series How To Get Away with Murder (Viola Davis), Scandal (Kerry Washington), and Grey’s Anatomy (Chandra Wilson).
Shonda Rhimes, the powerhouse producer and writer behind these three shows, is a perfect example of what Twitter has deemed “#blackgirlmagic.” Since the premier of Scandal in 2012, primetime television has become increasingly black and it is such a beautiful thing.
My hope, as a black viewer, is that this positive representation of black women will soon supersede the now-popular idea that black women are Ghetto (a la reality shows such as Love & Hip Hop and Real Housewives of Atlanta.)
This broadening perspective of black women on TV depicts them as diverse and eclectic, as opposed to a generalized stereotype of ignorance among black women.
More important than the representation of black women in television is their recognition as valid and talented performers on the small screen, a notoriously whitewashed section of the entertainment industry.
This year’s primetime Emmy’s was noted for its historical context, namely its long list of firsts/mosts. The most black nominees ever, the first time two black actresses were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, and the first time in sixty-seven years that a black woman won the award, which went home with Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis for her role as attorney Annalise Keating in How To Get Away With Murder.
Along with Viola, two other black women won on Emmy night, Regina King and Uzo Aduba for their supporting roles in American Crime and Orange is the New Black, respectively.
Aside from the numerous black winners of the evening, Taraji P. Henson was supportive and absolutely epitomized black sisterhood. Taraji and Empire co-star Terrence Howard excitedly presented Regina King with her award, and as Regina took the stage to accept it, Taraji let out a celebratory “YAAAAASS” . Then, after Viola was announced as the winner in her category, she made a beeline to Taraji’s emotional embrace before proceeding to the stage to give the best acceptance speech of the night.
Davis began by quoting Harriet Tubman and finished by shouting out her fellow black actresses Kerry Washington, Nicole Beharie, and Taraji P. Davis also used her speech to address the lack of opportunities African American actresses are afforded.
“You can’t win Emmy’s for roles that simply are not there” was the main take away of Davis’ speech. Despite remaining in the minority of nominees and winners, black performers are certainly on the rise.
