And The Emmy Goes To...

On September 20^th, 2015, the 67^th Emmy Awards, hosted by Andy Samberg, aired on national television. The most notable moment of the night came when the award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series” was announced and then “Viola Davis” was said into the microphone. Davis is the lead actress in the new hit drama series How to Get Away with Murder in which she plays Annalise Keating, a high profile attorney and law professor. Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) picks five students to work with her and her law office for the semester so that those students can get some hand on experience. Along with the cases Keating and her office take on, one of the five students kill Sam Keating, Annalise’s husband, after he tried to kill a friend of their who believed he was involved in the death of another student from the university. How to Get Away with Murder is filled with Annalise handling her cases and now trying to cover for her five students and herself. Needless to say, it is a great show and Viola Davis is truly an outstanding actress within it.

            Viola’s acting ability in the show was not the only reason her win on the 20^th has created such a buzz. Davis was the first African American woman to win this award in the history of the Emmy’s. During her acceptance speech, Davis commented on Hollywood’s lack of support and opportunities for women of color. Chris Barker (2012), author of Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, writes, “In America, the first television programme to feature African-Americans was Amos ‘n’ Andy. This programme was a ‘comedy’ that became the symbol for the degradation of black people through the use of ‘humour’ based on stereotypes” (275). When African Americans were first portrayed in the mass media, it was for the entertainment of whites and it usually was at the expense of African Americans. It is only just recently, there have been a few TV shows, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Empire, in which there were African Americans as the lead, powerful roles, but still the majority of the TV industry features white actors and actresses. In fact, as David Sims (2015) from The Atlantic writes, “When Kerry Washington was cast as the lead of ABC’s Scandal in 2012, she was the first black female lead of an American TV show since 1974.” There was a span of 36 years where not a single TV program had a woman of color as the lead. Viola Davis has plenty of reason to make the claim she did during her acceptance speech.

            During her acceptance speech, Davis (2015) stated, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else, is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” What Davis is referring to is how the TV industry is made for a white actress and/or actor. Barker (2012) writes, “The Cosby Show’s Huxtable family and talk show host Oprah Winfrey represent middle-class achievement and social mobility. In line with the American Dream, they suggest that success is open to all those who are talented and work for it” (277). But what happens when you are not given the opportunity to prove yourself? That is what Davis is touching on during her speech. She has always been a brilliant actress, but someone finally gave her the opportunity to show just how brilliant she is.

            To open her acceptance speech, Davis started by quoting Harriet Tubman’s quote from the 1800’s in saying, “In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.” What did Tubman’s quote have to do with Davis winning the Emmy? I think it ties right back to her calling out the television industry and their lack of opportunity for women of color to get over “that line.” In an interview with People (2015), Davis stated, “Because all you really need to do is shift people just a tiny bit for change to happen. It doesn't have to be huge and humongous. That's been a surprise.” While her Emmy winning has made history, there is still so much that needs to be done so that more people feel they have the opportunity to show their talents. What does this mean for the TV industry? Will Viola Davis open the door for more women of color to take advantage of different opportunities? Will it create more opportunities? It is clear from all the media buzz that Davis has brought a large issue to light and more people are talking about and realizing the lack of support the African American culture receives in the media industry.