Ok, THAT’s what should have happened! After 30 years, Tracee Ellis Ross became the first black actress to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Dr. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, the matriarch on black-ish. I know, I know… it’s 2016 and we’re still dealing with “firsts”. It’s a poor state of affairs that are best left addressed in another article.
However, a fact that came to life upon her nomination, was the unsettling truth that she was a realization of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. This same topic has come up time and time again, as recently as this past Oscar’s, and yet, here we are again…
The last nomination for a Black woman in this category belongs to Phylicia Rashad in 1986 nomination for her role as Clair Huxtable in The Cosby Show. Only five black actresses have ever been nominated in the category, including Diahann Carroll for Julia, Isabel Sanford for The Jeffersons, and Nell Carter for Gimme a Break!). In 1981, Isabel Sanford was the first Black actress to win the award for this category.
“At this age, at this point in my career, to be a first-time nominee is extraordinary. To be nominated on behalf of a show that I am so proud of,” Ross told ABC. “I have not yet gotten married or had a baby, and this is pretty up there on the list.”
Adding an even bigger boost to the major award show, Forbes reports that 18 out of 73, of the acting nominees in major categories are people of color. This is up from 21.9% last year.
While Tracee is never one to shy away from her accomplishments, she always reminds us of the importance of staying humble throughout her career. “My goal is not necessarily to be an inspiration. I think if anything, I want to continue to be inspired and to continue to grow as a person,” Ross told EBONY. “You can’t know what you don’t know.”
What I know, is that Tracee deserved this, and she didn’t get it. Hollywood, needs to do better. Really guys, do better.
