Diversity was the recurring theme of the night at the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, held on September 20th and hosted by Andy Samberg.
“The big story this year, of course, is diversity. This is the most diverse group of nominees in Emmy history, so congratulations, Hollywood, you did it! Yeah. Racism is over! Don’t fact check that,” host Andy Samberg joked, mocking that there is still a long way to go in terms of accomplishing racial equality in both Hollywood and America.
And diversity was, indeed, the big story of the night. Transparent, a show that follows the story of a transgender father, won numerous awards that night. Speechmakers, including lead actor Jeffrey Tambor, commended the transgender community and thanked them for their bravery. Additionally, stars from Empire, How to Get Away With Murder, and Orange is the New Black – all shows with lead actors and actresses of color – took home awards that night.
However, the spotlight on the dire need for diversity shone the brightest as Viola Davis delivered an emotional acceptance speech after becoming the first African-American to win an Emmy for best actress in a drama series.
“The only thing that separates women of color from everyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there,” Davis said, highlighting the two things most desperately needed in Hollywood today: more females and more people of color.
Davis continued her spiel by thanking fellow black actresses Kerry Washington and Taraji P. Henson – who she embraced before walking to the stage to collect her award – as well as writer Shonda Rhimes for redefining “what it means to be beautiful.. to be a leading woman.. to be black.”
Viola Davis’s statement that Hollywood’s lack of diversity stems from an inadequate number of roles for women of color relates back to Samberg’s opening song monologue, which he satirically ended with “I’m the only one qualified to be hosting, because I’ve done watched every damn show. And I’m white,” proving just how true Viola Davis’s statement rings: people of color – especially women – simply do not have the same opportunities as others in the land of film and television.
Ultimately, while we can sit back and celebrate that the Emmy’s nominated two black women for lead actress in a drama series in 2015 (only one more than last year), we should also note that until now, a black woman had never actually won in the category. And as an avid consumer of media produced by Hollywood, I wholeheartedly support the progress made towards diversification thus far; but, I do think that further steps need to be taken to ensure that women like Viola Davis continue to be given both the opportunity and the roles they deserve.