Sheryl Lee Ralph and Quinta Brunson snag Emmy wins. (Credit: EEW Magazine Online/Getty)

By EEW Magazine Entertainment Editors // Awards

Only 36 Black women have won prime-time Emmy awards in its 74-year history, which is why this year’s ceremony marked a particularly special occasion for Black women in TV.

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Quinta Brunson, Lizzo, and Zendaya all dominated the 2022 Emmys.

“To anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t come true,” said Ralph, 65, “I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”

Ralph, a Hollywood legend with a career spanning more than 40 years, took home her first Emmy on Monday. She won for her portrayal of Barbara Howard in the hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary” created by Brunson.

Ralph is only the second Black woman to win the award, snagging it 35 years after Jackée Harry won for her role on “227.”

Harry acknowledged the gap in a tweet writing, “Winning my Emmy was a career highlight, but it was also a lonely experience. For 35 years I’ve been the only black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy Series. But that all changes tonight… and it’s come full circle!”

At 32, Brunson made history by being the youngest Black woman nominated for an award in the comedy acting category. She’s also the second Black woman in the Emmys’ history to win the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series.

Meanwhile, Grammy award winner Lizzo took home the award for outstanding competition program, and Zendaya snagged her second Emmy for best actress in a drama series.

Edward Elliott O’Byrn, a professor of African American studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told NBC the Emmy wins are made only more impressive because there was so much collaboration among the Black women who were honored.

“These women showed a level of solidarity with other writers, actresses and entertainers that must be celebrated. It helps underscore how Black achievement is not a zero-sum game,” he said. “Rather, what we see is Black women lifting up a better representation of Black people and bringing Black talent with them. This is clearly the case with Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph, as well as Lizzo.”

Ralph has made an indelible mark on television, film, and Broadway for 45 years and is just now receiving well-deserved recognition – proving that hard work, consistency, and dedication will always lead to lasting success, noted Essence.

Brunson, speaking in an interview weeks before the Emmys, said she never created “Abbott Elementary” expecting to win awards. She just wanted to create a cool new kind of workplace comedy set in an underfunded West Philadelphia school.

Watch Ralph’s inspiring speech below.