Viola Davis is a force of nature. You feel her presence when she is acting or simply when she is doing an interview — speaking out about the deeply-rooted racial issues that still exist in Hollywood. On Sept. 20, 2015, Davis made history as the first Black women to win an Emmy for Best Actress for a drama for her breakout role in Shonda Rhimes series “How to Get Away With Murder.” Instead of making the win about her personal journey, she made it about the journey of her sisters and even brothers. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there,” she said.
Davis opened her acceptance speech with a powerful Harriet Tubman quote. “In my dreams and visions, I seemed to see a line, and on the other side of that line were green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful White ladies, who stretched out their arms to me over the line, but I couldn’t reach them no-how. Let me tell you something: the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.”
Perhaps Davis was speaking in character, as she is currently working on her role as Harriet Tubman in an upcoming HBO biopic, or perhaps she is just our modern-day Tubman. Whether she is in character or speaking for herself, Davis continues to be a voice for African American women in and out of Hollywood. Her candor on her own experience and difficulty dealing with the biased standards of beauty and acceptance in Hollywood has begun to develop a sense of sisterhood among African American women in Hollywood. During her speech Sunday night, Davis mentioned fellow nominee Taraji P. Henson along with Halle Berry, Kerry Washington, Meagan Good and several others.
Whether Davis is playing Analise Keating on “How to Get Away Wth Murder” or Harriet Tubman or speaking to us from her wisdom, she sets an example and continues to make history for herself and other women.
