It was a night of firsts for Black comedians at the Emmys on Sunday night, September 17th.
Lena Waithe made history as the first Black woman to win for comedy writing for co-writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of “Master of None” with series co-creator and star, Aziz Ansari. Waithe also has a recurring role on the Netflix series. The episode “Thanksgiving” was about Waithe coming out as a lesbian.”When we got the script it resonated with me so much,” states actress Eden Duncan-Smith who played Teen Denise. “Lena was able to capture not just her experience- but an entire generation. Coming out in the 90s was an entirely different beast back then and I am glad that she allowed me to be a part of that storytelling”. Which is why it was only right that Waithe gave a special shoutout to her “LGBTQIA family”.
Waithe was overcome with emotion and took the time out to urge for diversity in Hollywood because “The things that make us different — those are our superpowers”. Waithe continued to give words of encouragement to social outcasts, “go out there and conquer the world. It would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.”
Waithe is out here making moves. She’s gearing up for the release of her autobiographical Showtime series about her coming of age years in Chicago called The Chi. She is also developing other television projects. Although Insecure was snubbed of all nominations, Issa Rae would be proud.
