00:00I'm really sorry, my mother already made me cry at the table, so thank you, Mrs. Bythewood,
00:08for the amazingly kind words and the wonderful introduction.
00:13Your work has had such a profound impact on me, and receiving this award from you today
00:19is an incredible honor.
00:22Excuse me.
00:23To the other honorees, I am inspired by each of you, and I feel so blessed to be awarded alongside you tonight.
00:33To the women in this room, I am forever indebted to you.
00:38For every no that I've heard,
00:45your mere existence has been a welcome reminder to keep fighting.
00:53Excuse me.
00:59You all have changed my life by daring to be beautiful, intelligent, talented, and trailblazing,
01:06even when the rest of the world would rather you not be.
01:10They say that our dreams are God's voice inside of us.
01:14If that's true, you all have nourished my voice.
01:18And thank you is not a strong enough show of gratitude.
01:22Thank you, Mrs. Bythewood.
01:25To essence, 15 years ago, you put eight actresses on the cover of your May issue.
01:32And I don't know that you really understood how powerful that image was.
01:38That cover celebrated black actresses of every size, shape, and shade.
01:43It applauded the differences among us.
01:47It captured the intrinsic nature and indispensable quality of who we are and what we bring to this industry.
01:53But above all,
02:00for a little black girl in Detroit,
02:06it was validation.
02:11Excuse me.
02:13This is getting ugly up here.
02:14Thank you so much.
02:18All right.
02:30It was proof that I would not be on this journey alone.
02:34That there was a sisterhood to belong to.
02:36And much like today,
02:38it was affirmation from my dreams.
02:41It showed me that this was possible.
02:43Being here today is not only a dream come true,
02:48but a monumental step towards fulfilling my purpose.
02:52I will never forget this moment
02:55and how I was welcomed into this amazing community.
03:03Thank you so much.
03:05Thank you so much.
03:05Thank you so much.
03:07Thank you so much.
03:09Thank you so much.
03:11Thank you so much.
03:12Thank you so much.
Comments