Black women winning at the 2022 Emmys is more than just a monumental moment in Hollywood
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Quinta Brunson, Lizzo and Zendaya dominated the 2022 Emmys, making the biggest night in television a historic moment for Black women in TV.
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Quinta Brunson, Lizzo and Zendaya dominated the 2022 Emmys, making the biggest night in television a historic moment for Black women in TV.
Ralph, a Hollywood legend with a career spanning more than 40 years, took home her first Emmy on Monday. At 32, Brunson made history by being the youngest Black woman nominated for an award in the comedy acting category. She’s also the second Black woman in the Emmys’ 74-year history to win the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series.
Meanwhile, Grammy award winner Lizzo took home the award for outstanding competition program, and Zendaya snagged her second Emmy for best actress in a drama series. Adrien Sebro, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Texas at Austin, says the wins aren’t just noteworthy for Black people in entertainment; they’re pivotal for progress in the field.
“With the success of these shows, it opens the reality to networks that Black women and Blackness is marketable,” Serbo said. “This will lead the way to more Black writers, more Black actresses on writers, sitcoms, reality series and competition series, as well. This leads to more spaces of Black creative possibility.”
Lizzo accepts Outstanding Competition Program for "Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls" onstage during the 74th Primetime Emmys at Microsoft Theater, in Los Angeles, on Sept. 12, 2022.Kevin Winter / Getty ImagesOnly 36 Black women have won prime-time Emmy awards, according to Essence. The precarious situation wasn’t lost on Ralph as she delivered her acceptance speech — partly through a powerful rendition of Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species.”
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