Judge Mablean Ephriam and her daughter Tajamika “Taj” Paxton recently etched their names in the history books after they were nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award at the same time.
Ephriam’s show, Justice with Judge Mablean, received her first nomination for Best Legal/Courtroom Program, while her daughter scored a nod in the Best Special Class Special category for the film Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & The Beast in Me.
Paxton, who currently serves as Vice President of Documentaries for the Logo TV network, has been nominated twice before but has never taken home an award.
In a conversation with The Grio, Paxton said she was delighted by the nominations.
“To have our work acknowledged in the same season is an honor. Even if we’re not the first mother/daughter team, we for sure have to be the most delighted,” she said.
Paxton also gave credit to Ephriam, who served as a prosecuting attorney for the city of Los Angeles before making the jump to TV.
“My mother has been the benchmark for excellence my entire life,” Paxton said. “She’s my champion. She encourages my dreams and her support makes them feel possible. She always says I challenge her and it gets on her nerves. Secretly, I think she likes that I can match her, grit for grit.”
Ephriam said the Daytime Emmy honors are coming at the perfect time.
“Our nomination is happening during an important time in history for women. Two women in the television industry, of different ages; two different generations, being recognized and nominated for a Daytime Emmy award,” she said.
“I thought about the history of African-American women being honored in Hollywood and we now join that small outstanding group of women. The nomination had even greater meaning. We are a first. We are making history. We are trailblazers. We bring hope to women, to young women, to senior women, to African-American women.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards take place on April 29th and will be hosted by Sheryl Underwood and Mario Lopez.