The 2017 Emmys —we did that! It was our night, we made history, came with the receipts and looked like wealth and prosperity on the red carpet. Issa Rae set the tone, making it clear who she was there for during a red carpet interview saying, “I’m rooting for all the Black people.” This pretty much set the tone for the evening, as a Rolodex of Black excellence took the stage to claim their golden statues.
In addition to Lena Waithe becoming the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing, Donald Glover became the first African-American to win an Emmy for directing a comedy and Sterling K. Brown became the first Black person in nearly 20 years to win lead actor in a drama.
To end the night, queen Oprah Winfrey stepped onto the stage to present the final award and was welcomed with a standing applause. This was just further confirmation of the many lives this Black woman has touched. Then there was the moment when Anika Noni Rose had Cicely Tyson’s back during her Emmy nomination presentation.
We rounded up all of the Blackness ICYMI in the video above.