Every year, when award shows like The Golden Globes, The Academy Awards and The Emmys come around, the topic of diversity among the actors, actresses and musicians nominated for awards is usually the most frequently discussed among critics. And every year, audiences feel mixed emotions regarding the representation of various minorities, whether they pertain to race, gender or sexuality.
However, at this year’s rendition of The Emmys, minorities scored far better than they have in previous years, with numerous “firsts” occurring during this award season. The most notable of these awards was for Best Writing for a Comedy Series, which was granted to Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe, who became the first African American LGBTQIA woman to receive an award in the comedy writing category. Waithe and Ansari co-wrote the Thanksgiving episode of “Masters of None,” which Waithe also co-starred in.
Further, Donald Glover, the director of “Atlanta,” became the first black person to win an Emmy for directing for a comedy. Glover picked up another award during the night for lead comedy actor.
Aside from the awards African Americans took home at The Emmys, females also dominated at this year’s award ceremony, with the entirely female lead Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” taking home several awards. The series won for Best Drama, Best Actress in a Drama with Elisabeth Moss and Best Writing in a Drama, among others.
Audiences can’t help but be inspired by the performance of minorities at this years Emmys. It was heartwarming and refreshing to see so much diversity among the actors and actresses that were nominated for and took home awards.
In the same breath, we believe that by attacking President Donald Trump on his ill-charged remarks on race and other issues, it does not supplement the necessity of more diversity in the Emmys, as well as other award shows. In the same vein, bringing in former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer to normalize the anti-Trump sentiment doesn’t make the Emmys any more inclusive, but rather pushes individuals to take definitive stances on the awards solely based on political leaning.
In doing this, we believe that while the Emmys have taken tremendous steps in evolving the landscape of diversity, there are still necessary steps needed to not only incorporate a more diverse audience, but a more unified audience.
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