I can’t stop watching this.  Viola Davis as she accepts her award as the first Black Woman to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series.  She made history.  What’s even better is she plays a strong-willed Attorney on ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder.”  Often Black actors are recognized when they play subservient roles or sexual vixens.  Her character is strong-willed, raw and vulnerable at the same time.

“The only thing that celebrates women of colour from anyone else, is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”  -Viola Davis

Davis, who is a graduate of Juilliard School has had quite an extensive career as an actor.  She’s been nominated for an Oscar twice; Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for
The Help in 2012 and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 2009 for
Doubt.  Davis has appeared in countless films, television shows and on the Broadway Stage. She has been nominated more than 47 times through her career for various roles.  Despite that, she only recently became a household name when cast in the lead role of Annalise Keating in How to Get Away With Murder. 

What I love about Davis, is her strong will and passion for her craft.  She’s not what Hollywood often considers the ‘conventional beauty.’ With her chocolate skin, natural hair and average figure, she represents many women out there who are not on-screen in leading roles.  I admire her talent and continual pursuit in an industry that is one of the most competitive and difficult to break into.