00:00It is my honor to present the 2025
00:02Essence Black Women in Hollywood Visionary Award
00:06to the incredible Ramla Mohamed.
00:35You know what, Joe, Issa, I'm going to call you by your government name.
00:43Thank you so much.
00:44I just want to thank you for...
00:46Issa rearranged her whole schedule to do this, so it's very sweet.
00:52I'm a little short. I'm 5'2", but wow, what a room.
00:59I've been in this room a few times,
01:01but this is obviously a different perspective in many ways.
01:06So I know there are many of us here
01:08that have been affected by the fires last month.
01:10So I want to send you love and prayers for having to
01:15and continuing to go through such a devastating experience.
01:20Ms. Marla, Tiana, Cynthia,
01:23to say it's an honor to share this with you is an understatement.
01:27Ms. Marla, you were in one of my Scandal episodes,
01:30and witnessing your talent in person was a gift that I'll always treasure.
01:35Tiana, we don't know each other that well,
01:38but your performance in 1001 is truly one of the best on-screen performances
01:44I've seen in a long time, maybe if ever.
01:47And finally, Cynthia.
01:51I'm so grateful to call you a friend,
01:54and I'm so excited watching you be recognized for the incredible talent that you have,
01:59and it just warms my heart.
02:01So congratulations to you all.
02:04In preparing for this speech, I thought about what I could say here.
02:08Then I remembered in 2022, during the press run of season one of Reasonable Doubt,
02:15a white male reporter asked me,
02:17how did it feel to have my own show given that I came out of nowhere?
02:25I smiled the Kamala Harris, Jasmine Crockett, Olivia Pope smile that signals,
02:33give me a second before I roast you.
02:36And then I politely said, well, I've been a television writer for 10 years,
02:40so it feels fantastic to have my own show.
02:45But here's what I really wanted to say.
02:47And what a better place to say it.
02:49So here goes.
02:51Sir.
02:55Are you serious?
02:59Do you know the struggle I've been through to get here?
03:02The fourth floor walk-up I lived in, the fear of failure, the fear of success,
03:07the antidepressants, the failed pilot scripts, pushing through heartbreak.
03:11Oh, and how can I forget? Just being a black woman.
03:15It's actually a miracle that I made it here.
03:18Is that why you question how I got here?
03:20Because it's impossible to fathom that I might be the main character of my own story?
03:26On my own hero's quest, like one of the Greek mythological characters you forced me to learn about?
03:32Instead of surviving a cross-continental kidnapping that you are now forcing us all to forget about?
03:39Does it scare you?
03:41Does it scare you that I came from one of your private institutions?
03:44That I sat across from one of your daughters or nieces at the Ivy League school,
03:49where despite all your fears and beliefs, our intellect made us equal?
03:54That I got my masters without the help of a master?
03:58That this half-African, half-American woman succeeded by being creative in a world you created to stifle our dreams,
04:08limit our possibilities.
04:09And not only did I surpass your expectations, but I stayed black while doing it.
04:21But the truth is, I'm not the only one who's surviving and thriving.
04:26So I want to say their names, some other black female writers that have inspired me.
04:31Yvette Lee Bowser, Ava DuVernay, Courtney Kemp, Shonda Rhimes, Lena Waithe, Issa Rae, Nkechi Carroll,
04:42Katori Hall, Mara Brock Akil, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Carla Waddles, Diara Kilpatrick, Robin Thede,
04:49Erika Harrison, Loy Webb, Michelle Flowers, Anil Foreman, Jordan Crawford, Rashida Brady, Esther Lou Withers, Natalia Temeskin,
04:58Tembi Banks, Amy Anobi, Erika Johnson, Tash Gray, Myesha Clausen, Abby Ajayye, Janine Neighbors,
05:07Zoann Clack, Brittany Mack, Crystal Jennings, Latoya Morgan, Ayanna Floyd, Rada Blank,
05:14Kiana Taylor, Sarah Finney Johnson, Nichelle Tramble Spellman, Gina Yashiri, Shannon Houston,
05:22Jessica James, Janica James, Attica Locke, Tembi Locke, Adana Ebo, Adama Ebo, and Natasha Wathwell.
05:34On the stage right now, I want to say that every one of you in this room, everyone at home
05:41watching this,
05:42in watching this room and wanting to be in this room, all of you deserve to be seen. Thank you,
05:48Essence, for this incredible honor. I'm truly humbled and overwhelmed for this recognition.
05:54I'd also like to thank God for allowing me to be here, stand here, and be blessed enough to support
06:00myself through my art. I dedicate this award to my father and grandmother, both of whom I miss every day,
06:07and I thank you again.
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