Black People: Do We Care About the Emmys or No?

Yesterday the nominations for the 2021 Emmy awards were announced. My timelines were full of Black people and publications being excited for the Black actors, actresses, writers, creators, etc. who were nominated for awards. Don’t get me wrong, I was proud. It made me happy to see us being rewarded for our contributions. However, at the same time, I couldn’t help but think, haven’t we moved past this?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of these awards. It’s not rooted in wanting white validation, and it’s nothing wrong with wanting a seat at the table, and acknowledgment for your work when the only thing that’s stopping you is the color of your skin. These awards not only demand more money for the winners in future endeavors, bring more views, thus more money, to the films and shows, but also bring with them a sort of prestige that can catapult a career. Yes, it was a problem when Black writers, directors, actors, producers, etc. were denied these opportunities.

I remember the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag from 2015. It was a justifiable protest against the lack of Black nominees, and diversity, in the nominations when the overwhelming majority were white and male. However, the Oscars had another problem with some of the films it nominated, and the ones it snubbed. Denzel Washington won for playing a corrupt cop in Training Day…