Image: Bruce Plante
This past Sunday was the 73rd Annual Primetime Emmys awards that as we know is a star-studded night that honors and awards actors for their stunning performances on the small screen. For many viewers, the night is just an excuse for fashion
I see you Sir Porter! (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
and a retreat back to some normalcy as this is one of the first major award shows to be held (indoors at that) since the panorama of COVID. Even with the added razzmatazz of a highly infectious and deadly disease, the Emmys would just not be right without some good ol’ racism. Even though this year’s Emmys had the highest amount of persons of color nominees (49!!!!), not one non-white actor in a major category took home an award!
Now you know Black social media was up in arms, all under the hashtag #EmmysSoWhite.
As always, I am here with my two cents that says: F*$K ‘EM! F*$k the Academy and their awards. I am honestly tired of having mainstream media tell me what's “award-worthy” when the skills of POC actors and the content of POC shows/movies are beyond par with white actors and “mainstream” programming (YEA I SAID IT!).
I’m done looking to these award shows to validate MY fave actors and MY fave shows that reflect diverse and true portrayals of individual experiences. It's kinda like you cooked the best meal of rich meats and fluffy rice and delicious, nutritious veggies AND a bomb dessert and your guests love it!! They are just licking their fingers, unbuttoning their pants, eyes start drifting with sleep, putting aside to-go plates (all good signs of a spectacular meal). Everyone loved the food EXCEPT for one person who just piled the food up on their plates, pushed the food around the plate the wholeeeeeee meal, ate maybe the garnish off the chicken and left after the dinner party to have a McDonalds meal (and not even the Saweetie combo).
Image: (McDonald’s)
Our rich culture and story aren't palatable for all and for me, I'm ok with it. And now I know there are people like “LiLee, these award shows aren't just about the shiny metallic man winners take home. People who win these awards are now looked at as leaders in their industry and with that recognition comes more roles and funding for bigger and bigger projects.” On that note, I can understand the outrage but at some point when do WE change the meaning of success and find alternate ways to get bigger funding and continue to CREATE these roles? If we wait for mainstream media and the Academy to give us our flowers, they would probably be laid on the culture’s tombstone (just saying).
In closing, I hate when we go into award season with our hopes on our sleeves but still looming doubt in the back of our minds, only for our doubt to prevail. I want it to be that the power of mainstream awards is no longer factored into a movie’s impact or an actor’s God-given ability to bring through life to a character. Black achievement in the motion picture arts is more than just an Emmys or an Oscar. It's an accumulation of pride in culture and no rag-tag bunch of critics can dictate that for me. So #EmmysSoWhite, you can take your awards! For me, I’ll take the pride in my POC actors/directors and the triumph in the stories told.
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