Viola Davis made history at the Emmys becoming the first African American woman to win the award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
Davis captured the moment in her acceptance speech first quoting Harriet Tubman, then thanking Shonda Rhimes for diversifying television along with fellow actresses breaking boundaries and ending with the poignant statement, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.”
Davis leads the cast of ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ as part of Shonda Rhimes Thursday night takeover airing between Scandal and American Crime.
One of the most talked-about scenes showed Davis stripping down out of her wig and make-up in a true reveal of the battle between inner strength and outward acceptance. However, that particular episode was not submitted as part of the Emmy’s nomination further accenting the strength of Davis’ talent.
The Juilliard School graduate’s career has been steady and strong appearing in blockbuster hits including The Help, Doubt, Traffic and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
Davis won a Tony Award in 2001 for her role in “King Kedley II,” the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award in 2005 and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012.
Rising from humble beginnings Davis doesn’t shy away from her roots. “We grew up in abject poverty, Davis is quoted as saying. “Acting, writing scripts and skits were a way of escaping our environment at a very young age.”
At 50, Davis has solidified her place in history and became the face that young girls with dark skin, natural hair and talent can look to for inspiration.
