Golden Globes — Black Women Were Never A Monolith
by: Naomi Lilly, Director of Marketing & Storytelling for Girls for Gender Equity (GGE)
The late Claudia Tate was known for her profound literary criticism and her ability to exceed “the normative “protocols,” as she termed them, of literature, scholarship, and race”. In her novel, “Black Women Writers at Work,” Claudia notes “Black women writers and critics are acting on the old adage that one must speak for oneself if one wishes to be heard”. That same sentiment, almost 40 years later, was on display at the 80th Golden Globe Awards.
Among the winners of the award show, coined for highlighting the shakers and movers of entertainment based on the judgment of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were three Black women; Angela Bassett for Best Supporting Actress — Motion Picture, Quinta Brunson for Best Television Actress — Musical/Comedy Series, and Zendaya for Best Television Actress — Drama Series. In “Black Women Writers at Work” Claudia Tate interviews the late Toni Morrison. Fittingly, in Angela Bassett’s Golden Globe Speech, she gave homage and a call back to her first Golden Globe win in 1994 for “What’s Love Got to Do with It” by quoting the late Toni Morrison noting, “Your life is already a miracle of chance, just waiting for you to order its destiny”. Angela adds her own words, speaking to the importance of patience and a true sense of self.
For many Black girls, there is a hesitation to embark on a life grounded in the “miracle of chance,” because of unseen expectations that Black girls must act as a monolith. Or, according to Merriam-Webster, “an organized whole that acts as a single unified powerful or influential force”. While Black girls and Black women can be an organized whole, there is no limit to the realm of unified forces they hold. Quinta Brunson started a comedy career as a college dropout and comedian on now terminated social media app, Vine, and eventually moved to Buzzfeed where she continued growing her writing and comedic chops. Angela Bassett began as a receptionist for a beauty salon and as a photo researcher before pursuing acting in the New York Theater. I say all this to say, Black women and young Black girls, we hold the chalice for redefining our personal narratives and crafting stories that deserve to be heard.
Whether it is the likes of Abbott Elementary, the landscapes painted by Black beauty in Wakanda (shout out to Ruth E. Carter for winning AGAIN for Best Costume Design), the layers of personal traumas depicted in Euphoria, or the collection of Black writers like Maya Angelou, Toni Cade-Bambara, Gwendolyn Brooks, Alexis De Veaux, Nikki Giovanni, Kristin Hunter, Gayl Jones, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker, Margaret Walker, and Sherley Anne Williams in “Black Women Writers at Work”, there is power in our words and our being. We have never been crafted to be a monolith, but a sometimes disorganized whole with several influential forces that define Black girlhood and Black womanhood. As a result, we define our stories, the narratives that speak for us, and the audiences that beckon to hear from us.
Long out of print, “Black Women Writers at Work” is now available for purchase.
Naomi Lilly is the Director of Marketing and Storytelling at Girls for Gender Equity. She strives to use her voice and experiences in media to beckon for further representation of marginalized voices. Lilly is based in Brooklyn, New York.
Painter, N. (n.d.). Claudia Tate | Department of african american studies. Princeton University. Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://aas.princeton.edu/people/claudia-tate
Tate, C. (2023, January 10). Black women writers at work: Paperback. Barnes & Noble. Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-women-writers-at-work-claudia-tate/1001981109
Winners & nominees 2023. Golden Globes. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees
NBC. (2023, January 10). Angela Bassett wins best supporting actress in a motion picture | 2023 Golden Globe Awards on NBC. YouTube. Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9augAE3q-Qw
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Monolith definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monolith
