Black Hollywood won big at Monday night’s 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards, including Tracee Ellis Ross’ historic win for Best Actress in a TV Comedy or Musical and Moonlight nabbing the coveted Best Motion Picture.
“This is for all the women of color and colorful people whose stories, ideas and thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important,” Ross said during her acceptance speech. “But I want you to know that I see you. We see you.”
The 44-year-old actress became the first African-American woman to win the category in 35 years. The last black woman to take the title was Debbie Allen in 1982 for her role in Fame.
Ross shared her #BlackGirlMagic glory with Viola Davis, who raked up her golden statue for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her starring role in Fences, alongside Denzel Washington. The Emmy-winning actress commended Paramount and executives for taking a chance by turning a stage play into a film.
“Thank you for being an extraordinary leader. Great actor, great director,” Davis said to her co-star. “Thank you for saying trust me and remember the love. And my beautiful husband, my daughter Genesis, loves of my life.”
She also dedicated the award to her father, who she called the original Troy (the film’s protagonist): “And to the original Troy, my father, Dan Davis. Born in 1936, groomed horses, had a fifth grade education, didn’t know how to read until he was 15. But you know what? He had a story. And it deserved to be told. And August Wilson told it. Thank you very much.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGWDbg9yGqM
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture goes to @violadavis! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/0ABKjB2d5m
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 9, 2017
Donald Glover and his FX original series, Atlanta, also walked away with gold. Glover, 33, won for Best Actor in a TV Series, while the television series itself won Best Comedy TV Series.
Glover quickly became a trending topic after delivering his acceptance speeches, thanking the city of Atlanta and hip-hop group, Migos, for their song “Bad and Boujee,” which he called the “greatest song ever.”
Donald Glover. #GoldenGlobes. pic.twitter.com/E2FTskN2oA
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 9, 2017
“I really want to thank Atlanta, and black folks in Atlanta, for real — just for being alive and doing just amazing and being amazing people,” Glover said. “I couldn’t be here without Atlanta and I really want to thank The Migos, not for being in the show but for making ‘Bad and Boujee’ — that’s the best song ever, so yeah.”
Glover also beautifully thanked his newborn son and the mother of his child. “I really want to say thank you to my son and the mother of my son for making me believe in people again and things being possible,” he said.
The biggest win of the night, however, was the presumptive winner, Moonlight, for Best Motion Picture. The film’s director, Barry Jenkins, referenced fellow filmmaker Denzel Washington while thanking his mother, who was some of the inspiration for the project.
“Denzel [Washington] says this in Fences, ‘I gave you everything, I gave you your life.’ Mom, you gave me my life, and I hope me being on this stage right now is the fulfillment of the life that you gave me,” Jenkins said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMnSglM9Mrk