The 2020 Emmys, ‘Watchmen’ and Black Lives Matter – Vogue

As Variety reported, a record number of Black actors were nominated for Emmy this year taking 35 of the 102 possible slots, or 34.3%. That was a jump from last year, when Black actors made up 19.8% of the nominee pool, as well as an increase from 2018, when there were 27.7% Black actors nominated the previous highest percentage in the Academys history. Among those nominated: Billy Porter, Sterling K. Brown, Zendaya, Anthony Anderson, Don Cheadle, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Jeremy Pope, Octavia Spencer and Kerry Washington. (King, Spencer and Washington all compete in the same category, Best Actress in a Limited Series; the other two nominees are Cate Blanchett and Shira Haas.)

"This year we are also bearing witness to one of the greatest fights for social justice in history, and it is our duty to use this medium for change," Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of Television Academy, at the start of the live-streamed nominations on Tuesday. That is the power and responsibility of television not only delivering a multitude of services or a little escapism, but also amplifying the voices that must be heard and telling the stories that must be told. Because television, by its very nature, connects us all.

Of course, inclusion only goes so far.

One of the glaring omissions in this year's nominations was Pose, which failed to repeat as a Best Drama nominee, and garnered only one acting nod Billy Porter, for Best Actor, the award he won last year, becoming the first openly gay Black actor to do so. Left out was the entire rest of the cast, including several of the supporting actors who are trans. Emmy voters also failed to recognize Janet Mock, the barrier-breaking trans director who executive produces Pose. (The show did receive nominations for makeup, hairstyling and costume design.)

On Tuesday morning, Pose stars Indya Moore and Angelica Ross responded to the snubs on social media.

Moore, who plays Angel, took to Twitter, posting, I cNt tell nobody I deserve their sht. I didn't invent the academy or any of the award shows. If they think my work is unworthy Chile that's just that. In a follow-up tweet she added, Imagine if we depended on cis ppl to validate anything about us. (Responded one fan: Watching you on Pose made me cry... made me laugh.. made me think about life in the LGBTQ+ community. Your ability to convey emotions and portray such a powerful character speaks volumes about you and your ability to act. Needless to say, I believe you deserved a nomination.)

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The 2020 Emmys, 'Watchmen' and Black Lives Matter - Vogue

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