Viola Davis' Inspiration for us all

"The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there." Viola Davis, Best Actress Emmy 2015

Last, night Viola Davis won the coveted Emmy for Best Actress. She is the first African American actress to ever win such an honor. And yes, this is 2015. In fact, last night was a history of firsts. 3 Black actresses took home an Emmy in 3 separate categories. It was a time for celebration, yet my heart was saddened by the shade and disdain that covered the faces of the audience members, and I realized that Ms. Davis' words were not expected and the sentiment was not wide spread. And that we have such a long way to go still until all women of color are represented (Indigenous Americans, African Americans, West Indians, Africans, Asians, and Latino/Hispanics)

This is when I realized that her words are a lightening rod for all Black women of color in this business that we call show bizness. We need to continue to share our stories, produce new projects, direct, and hold each other up in high esteem and love. We need to work together in order to create a myriad of opportunities. More chances for the current and future generations to see themselves on the television and stage. It is vital that we swarm the Internet with original web series programming and that we throw our dollars towards any of our fellow sisters trying to get a project off the ground. Because something that was apparent last night and at every award show, are the teams of people who get project after project done who do not look like us.

Instead of throwing shade at what she said, writing nasty Tweets, maybe the architects of white Hollywood can open both doors as opposed to allowing us to squeeze thru the cracks. Because new stories are necessary to keep the life blood of entertainment flowing. And most of us would like for it to look exactly the way society looks, gritty, multi-hued, flawed, witty, intelligent, desperate, beautiful, and everything in between.

So I raise a glass to my sisters and applaud you for your ability to push the envelope and to penetrate the cracks and crevices with your solo shows, your original music, your production companies, your new scripts, your new musicals, and the tenacity to not simply wait for a door to open because you are fearless enough to knock it down kicking and screaming. Let's do this!