The 67th edition of the Annual Primetime Emmy Awards broke quite a few records. HBO won the most number of Emmys with forty-three Emmys under their belt, and its most popular show, Game of Thrones, set a new record by winning fourteen Emmys. Great wins for HBO but to be honest, none of that mattered. The highlight of the night was when Viola Davis became the first black woman in the Emmy’s sixty-seven year history to win the outstanding lead actress in a drama series award for her role in ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder. That’s right. It took the Emmys sixty-seven years to recognise the efforts of a black actress. As incredulous as it sounds, such is the sad truth. In a short but powerful and emotional speech, Davis said, “The only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” It was astounding to realise that in an industry which spews out hundreds of shows every year, only few of them have leading roles for the women of colour. Earlier in the year, even the Oscars were completely dominated by white actors, despite having great films to choose from. The fact that her fellow nominee Taraji P Henson remained standing throughout the acceptance speech and was visibly emotional shows how important this was to black actresses everywhere. It’s brilliant that these hugely talented ladies were finally able to show what they are made of. But at the same time, it also reveals how terrible the current race situation in the United States is. Contrary to belief amongst popular Republican politicians and commentators, racism is clearly not over in America. The majority of the incarcerated population in the US is black. We have seen the murders of unarmed black people by the police across American cities.
Viola Davis’ win is a historical moment. It got people talking. Through her they are finally realising how difficult it is for women of colour to succeed in an industry dominated by white women. Let us hope that this can be the start of something beautiful. Let us hope that in the future, we see more roles for women of colour. And most importantly, let us hope that America gets together and addresses its racial problems.
By Sheahan Bhuiyan