I woke up this morning thinking I need to write another blog this week. I wasn’t sure what I’d write. Then, I go online and find out that Viola Davis made history by being the first black woman to win Best Actress in a Drama series!!!! I know some may think it is shameful we are celebrating this; after all, it should be the norm nowadays to see actresses of diverse cultures winning an Emmy. Reality is, it is not. I am one to admit that America and the Entertainment Industry have come a long way (I say this with a grain of salt) when it comes to diversity on prime-time television. We think of Scandal, Being MaryJane, and Empire. However, the fact we still have to celebrate the “first ever African American to….” means we still have ways to go. After tears shed for this momentous moment for women of color, I thought about the little black girls who get to experience something I never had growing up. They get to see a woman that looks like them in a lead role on prime time television. More importantly, they get to see her win an award previously only allotted to women who looked a certain way; women who looked nothing like me.

I am an advocate for women’s rights. More than that, I am dedicated to the cause of raising self-awareness and self-esteem in all women, especially women of color. It is essential for women of all nationalities to know their worth. When we fight for the rights of women of color, we are fighting for the rights of all women. It will be a beautiful time in history when little girls of Asian, Arab, African, Anglo, Native American, Russian, etc. can turn on the television and see women in lead roles who look just like them.

-Ebby

*Shout out to Shaina for the title! : )