Essence has announced the 2018 honorees for its prestigious Black Women in Hollywood Awards, and we couldn’t be more impressed with this lineup. The four women being honored at the daytime luncheon are Emmy award-winning writer/actress Lena Waithe; actress/award-winning playwright Danai Gurira; actress/activist Tessa Thompson and comedian/award-winning actress Tiffany Haddish.
WOW.
Lena Waithe is the first black woman to have won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, which she received for her work on TV show Master of None – which she also acts in.
Danai Gurira is best known for her role as sword-wielding Michonne on TV show The Walking Dead – BUT she’s also a notable playwright. Her play Eclipsed was the first Broadway play to premiere with an all black female cast and creative team.
According to Essence, “[Tessa] Thompson defied odds when she was cast as Valkyrie, a traditionally white character, in Thor: Ragnarok. And, according to Thompson, Valkyrie is bisexual, which also makes her the first openly queer character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
And of course Tiffany Haddish is known for being an up-and-coming comedian with a huge following after her role as Dina in the movie Girls Trip. She was also the first black woman stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live.
