Actress Viola Davis Brings Home Emmy Award As The First Black Woman To Win Emmy For Best Actress

Actress Viola Davis Brings Home Emmy Award As The First Black
Woman To Win Emmy For Best Actress 

BHR Hollywood Reports..........Viola Davis, who starred as law school professor Annalise Keating in ABC's How to Get Away with Murder, made history by becoming the first black woman to win the prestigious best actress in a drama series at the 2015 Emmys.

When Davis' award was announced, Taraji P. Henson — nominated for the same award for her work on Empire — gave Davis a fierce hug and a one-woman standing ovation.

 Taraji P. Henson

NPR's Eric Deggans wrote earlier this week that a win by either Davis or Henson would be a first "basically because black women haven't had many starring roles in TV dramas until recently."

The 50-year-old from South Carolina said there is still work to be done in getting more diverse stories on screen. In her acceptance speech, Davis quoted Harriet Tubman, an African-American anti-slavery activist during the American Civil War whom she will be playing in a forthcoming HBO movie.

Viola Davis 

"The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity," Davis said. "You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there."

Backstage, Davis expanded on the debate, saying "there is a difference when it comes to actors of color in this business.

If it's been 67 years since an actress of color has won an Emmy then there is certainly a line. My story doesn't end here.

There is so much work that needs to be done in so many areas in the business with actors of color, so many narratives that need to be seen by people, so many stories that need to be seen and felt."