So about last night. Donald Glover, Lena Waithe and Sterling K. Brown all made history during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards!
It all went something like this: First, Donald Glover became the first African American to win an Emmy for Outstanding Director for a Comedy Series. Then Lena Waithe became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for writing in a comedy series. After that, Sterling K. Brown became the first Black actor to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series since 1988. If you missed it, watch the three history making moments below.
Glover earned his historic Emmy for directing the “B.A.N.” episode of his show “Atlanta” on FX. Later on in the evening, he also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Waithe won her historic Emmy, alongside Aziz Ansari, for co-writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of Netflix’s “Master of None”.
“The things that make us different, those are our superpowers — every day when you walk out the door and put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.”- Lena Waithe
Brown took home his historic Emmy for his role as Randall Pearson in NBC’s “This Is Us”.
“19 years ago, Detective Frank Pembleton held this joint, as impeccably played by Andre Braugher… Mr. Braugher, whether it is at Stanford University or on this Emmy Stage, it is my supreme honor to follow in your footsteps.” – Sterling K. Brown
Listen to the rest of Brown’s incredible speech below.
“I wanted to thank my manager. You’ve been doing this for a long time and it feels like we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to see what’s next. And to my wife—I didn’t get to thank my wife—you make my life worth living and you gave me two of the most beautiful things that God has ever put on this planet. Your daddy loves you with the strength of 1,000 suns. I’ll see you Monday after work. Thank you.”- Sterling K. Brown
Donald, Lena, and Sterling, your win is an inspiration to us all. Congratulations and thank you for paving the way for present and future African American actors, writers and directors.