Opinion | A socially distant Emmys season saw record BIPOC nominations
Mady Dever, Opinions Editor
It’s the beloved Emmy season once again, and for movies and television fanatics, Emmy Sunday was an exciting day. While awards season isn’t everything and doesn’t define what’s good art and bad art, nor does it create the final say in the “best” movies and television, I still love sitting down to watch the red carpet, guess who will win, laugh at mishaps and eat snacks in front of the TV – it’s a tradition.
The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards took place remotely, just like every other major event this year. It was difficult to fathom how the award show would turn out with over 140 live feeds running and professional cameras sent to nominees, wherever they may be spending their quarantine.
But being all online isn’t the only thing that felt different about the 2020 Emmy program. This year saw a sizable increase in Black nominations, which is amazing but long overdue. This year, out of the 102 acting nominations, 34.3% were Black. This is an increase from last year’s numbers at 19.8%.
It’s also interesting to note the amount of women nominated in directing categories – 33% compared to last year’s 18%. Black women broke records this year, with Robin Thede becoming the first black woman to create, show run, write and star in an Emmy-nominated sketch comedy series, “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” Nicole Byer, the host of this year’s Creative Arts Emmys, was also the first Black woman nominated in the “Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.” It doesn't stop there either: RuPaul Charles took home his fifth consecutive award win in the “Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.”
It’s not just the Emmys that are seeing more inclusivity this year. Mickey Guyton performed Sept. 16 at The Academy of Country Music Awards, becoming the first Black female to perform solo at the event – ever.
Someone told me that information and I had them repeat it because I couldn’t believe that fact was true. But it just goes to show how much work there is left to do. With how racially inclusive I thought our society should be at this point, how did we let 2020 be the first year a Black woman sang solo at this event?
Hearing of all of these amazing accomplishments, my mouth hung agape – partially in excitement for these Black women and for the increase in Black nominations as a whole. But the majority of my shock came from disbelief and disappointment at how many firsts we are seeing for BIPOC communities in 2020. Black talent should’ve already been equally represented in entertainment. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, I surely hope this improvement is sustained instead of performative.
Seeing these numbers makes me optimistic that an event I love watching will start being more inclusive to all creators. It seems like such an obvious push, and yet it's taken decades for minorities to become recognized in the entertainment industry. I hope we can live in a world where nominating all races and genders won’t even be a question or a quota to fill.