ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards: Watch Aja Naomi King's Inspiring Speech on Overcoming Self-Doubt

‘My inner critic is strong’ but ‘I know that I am stronger,’ said 'How to Get Away With Murder' star Aja Naomi King during her acceptance speech at ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood awards. King was awarded the Lincoln Shining Star award during the 10th annual star-studded pre-Oscars event. "I’m struggling with seeing these possibilities because my own inner critic, with this full belly and swollen mouth is eating up all my joy and belief in myself trying to trick me into thinking that I’m not worthy,” she said. “That feeling of 'I don’t belong here' and 'I don’t deserve this' as if I’m sitting in a dark room somewhere afraid that someone at any moment is going to come in and turn on the light and say how did you get in here?” she continued.  The trained actress and Yale-graduate was honored alongside Insecure's Issa Rae, music artist and Hidden Figures star Janelle Monaé, and Black-ish star Yara Shahidi. Before landing her major roles in ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder and Nate Parker’s Birth of A Nation, King also starred in the films The Rewrite, Four and The Blacklist. The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards aired on OWN on March 5