Michael B. Jordan And More React To Record Number Of Black Actors Nominated For Emmys

BIG BLACK EMMYS ENERGY was the first line of an email I received on June 28^th 2020. It was a response in a list-serve started by my acting teacher, actor Andrew Stewart Jones with the subject line “Us. The beautiful Us.”

Started as a safe space for black artist to share, vent and process, following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent social unrest; the exchange has grown into a beautiful celebration of blackness in its various representations. So it’s no wonder that on Tuesday July 28^, 2020 the list was buzzing with celebration considering the Television Academy nominated a record number of Black actors for EMMYS—with a whopping 34.3% of the acting nominees being Black. That’s a considerable increase from last year, when Black actors made up 19.8% of the nominee pool.

Along with that single line “Big Black Emmys energy” there was also a video from actor Michael B. Jordan’s Instagram. In the video that has now been viewed over 1 million times and shared exponentially more, actor Michael B. Jordan celebrates the nominations in distinguishably unique yet magnificent style. 

The video begins with the now iconic Variety Interview where Issa Rae is asked who she’s rooting for tonight? She of course responds, “I’m rooting for… everybody black.” Next Wale’s “Sue Me” drops. Then the catalog of images of the many black Emmy nominees from Issa Rae to Jeffrey Wright begins to flash on the screen. In the last moments of the video Jordan appears and offers a head nod, a smile, and a “congratulations everybody!”   His caption, “PROUD” in all capital letters #EMMYS. It’s short, beautiful, and powerful.   

Nominees in top acting categories include Billy Porter, Sterling K. Brown, Zendaya, Anthony Anderson, Don Cheadle, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Jeremy Pope, Octavia Spencer and Kerry Washington to name a few.