00:00Please welcome your host, actor, producer, entrepreneur, and star of the hit prime show, Alex Cross, Aldous Hodge.
00:07My people, my people, what is happening with y'all today?
00:11Hello, everybody. Welcome to the 18th annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
00:18I'm your host, Aldous Hodge.
00:22Look, I'm very excited to be here to celebrate four talented, brilliant black women
00:27who are leaving an unforgettable mark on Hollywood through their work in film and television.
00:33But I got to let you know, when I got the call that I was invited to host,
00:38first thing I thought was, uh, y'all sure y'all got the right guy?
00:44I mean, did y'all, like, mean to call Kevin Hart and accidentally got me?
00:50You know what I'm saying? I didn't understand it.
00:52Was it because y'all put me on the Essence cover recently?
00:59Hey, how's your boy out there? I'm just out there, you know.
01:02Got my cheeks out on full display. Is that why?
01:05No, let me tell you about it. Look, that day I took about a thousand pictures, okay?
01:09I was out there, hum, hum, hum, hum, bam, killing it.
01:15They didn't let me see the cover. They wanted to surprise me.
01:18All of a sudden, I start hearing a lot of online buzz talking about,
01:22ooh, he got guns and buns.
01:26I said, what the hell?
01:28And then I look at the cover.
01:29Y'all, I don't know if y'all seen the cover.
01:31They got your mans like this.
01:39I ain't mad at it. You know what I'm saying? I'm not mad at it.
01:41I just didn't know. I don't remember taking that picture.
01:44I don't.
01:46But what I realized is I was going through a little bit of imposter syndrome, you know,
01:51because I don't know if y'all see y'all.
01:53This room is major.
01:54Every single one of you, every single one of you is absolutely major, iconic, legendary.
01:59Right?
02:00And I didn't know if I was good enough to stand before you.
02:03You know what I'm saying?
02:04Look, look, we got Tyra Banks up in here, y'all.
02:12Hello. Nice to meet you.
02:16I don't want to be the dude that says the wrong thing or like trips down the stairs
02:19and then I get that call from Tyra like, I was rooting for you.
02:23We was all rooting for you.
02:26I don't want that call.
02:27But then I realized my fear started making me forget where I was coming to.
02:34I was coming to a room full of not only my people, but black women.
02:38Black women.
02:43Black women who have historically and consistently been the backbone of progressive change in this country,
02:52have been the foundation of support for our culture, our community, and specifically for black men.
02:59So I forgot that I was coming to a room full of support.
03:10So to be standing here with you today with my very own essence cover with my cheeks on full display,
03:17I have to say it's truly an honor, a privilege, and I thank you so much for having me.
03:27Now, for nearly two decades, this room right here has been a space unlike any other.
03:31It's been a room filled with love.
03:33It's been a room filled with gratitude.
03:35It's been a room filled with promise.
03:37It's a room bubbling over with what was before, what is now, and what will be for the future of
03:44black women in Hollywood.
03:45Now, this celebration was born out of a desire to create a space where we can come together and recognize
03:50decades of excellence
03:53that black women have brought to Hollywood from both film, camera, behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, behind,
03:59doing everything, okay?
04:00Because, look, let's face it, that's just what we do, y'all.
04:03That's what we do.
04:04We lift each other up.
04:05We hold each other down, and we do it as only we can.
04:09Again, the only power that opposition has is that which you believe and that which you allow it, so never
04:17forget your own power.
04:18You always stand to be bigger than opposition, always.
04:23And if you ever get fatigued, tired, lose your faith, look to your left, look to your right, and then
04:30pull out that little pocket mirror
04:31that you used to powder your nose, look at yourself.
04:35We are the answer.
04:36You are the answer.
04:37Unity and community, that is the answer.
04:40That is why we are here today.
04:48I'm going to tell you something.
04:50Can't stand that word minority, because look at the traction of our history as a people.
04:55We have never been minor in any capacity.
04:59Not minor in influence, efficacy, contribution, accolades, capability, capability, capability.
05:12Everything that opposes us, we are capable of tearing down, restructuring, and repurposing through love, light, hope, that which we
05:23are as a people.
05:24Never let anybody make you forget your true value and your power.
05:29All right, these honorees this year are a testament to just how far dreams can take you when you make
05:34the decision to pick up your purpose and never look back.
05:38Like the writer, creator, showrunner of the hit drama, Reasonable Doubt.
05:52Who's work continues to broaden the spectrum of possibility for narratives elevating untold and underrepresented black experiences.
06:01She is also known as the Ramla Muhammad.
06:11Or the young icon who is a living proof of what it looks like to let authenticity lead the way
06:17as you perfect your craft without limitations.
06:21Actress, singer, dancer, director, a hell of a performer, because you got moves, okay?
06:28The modern-day renaissance woman, Miss Tiana Taylor.
06:39Now, how about the once-in-a-lifetime powerhouse whose magic just continues to wow us one unforgettable performance at
06:47a time?
06:49This person literally embodied black girl magic, put it on the world stage, let them know.
06:54She said, you're going to get these micro braids, okay?
06:59You're going to get all these micro braids, you're going to get what you're going to get, okay?
07:04I'm talking about the actress, the singer, the songwriter, the producer, Miss Cynthia Erivo.
07:18And y'all know, by the time this airs, she may very well have added EGOT to that list of
07:25accolades.
07:27You know, we pulling for you.
07:29We pulling for you.
07:30And Amy-nominated actress, singer, writer, comedian, and activist whose career achievements opened so many doors in film, television, music,
07:39and beyond,
07:39opened so many doors for those of us in this room right here.
07:42Our very own national treasure and black Hollywood matriarch, the legendary Miss Marla Gibbs.
07:55Now look, I know we're ready to get the show started and everything, but first, I have a very special
08:01message to share.
08:02Last month, the Hollywood community, we know we were all hit with one of the most devastating disasters in our
08:07country's history.
08:07The fact that it happened right at the brink of this award season, just as many of us were just
08:12ready to start congratulating everybody's wins,
08:15it just, it was a sobering reminder that we are bound by so much stronger than the zip codes that
08:22separate us, right?
08:24And we all strive to remain true to the resilient spirit of culture and community that continues to carry us
08:29through that tragedy.
08:30I'd like to acknowledge a few very special guests in the room who were impacted by those wildfires.
08:34I want us to give a round of applause for Pasadena resident and NAACP member, Juanita West Tillman.
08:49Hey, Ms. Tillman.
08:52Pasadena resident and owner of Octavia's Bookshelf, Nikki High.
09:03And Alta Dina resident, Zaire Calvin.
09:12Just thank you all.
09:13Thank you so much for being here today.
09:15We are with y'all.
09:16Trucks, we are with you.
09:26We are with you.
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