Diversity was a hot topic at the Emmy Awards last night, and actress America Ferrera came ready to talk.
Known for speaking up about tokenism in TV, America was unsurprisingly one of the first to talk representation on the Emmys red carpet, and she did not sugarcoat it.
"There are so many people who want to be seen and represented, and TV has always needed to kind of speak to the masses," she told People. "With the expansion of the many ways we watch television, I'm proud to be an actor on TV when TV is getting it right.” But she was also quick to add that “we have a long way to go."
Award shows have long been criticized for their lack of diversity (#OscarsSoWhite, anyone?), but the Emmys tried hard to avoid the same fate.
“The only thing we value more than diversity is congratulating ourselves on how much we value diversity,” host Jimmy Kimmel joked in his opening monologue. “I’ll tell you, the Emmys are so diverse this year, the Oscars are now telling people we’re one of their closest friends.” Of course, a white male host joking about diversity leaves a little something to be desired in the tact department, but we won’t let Jimmy take away from the major inclusivity present in this year’s list of winners.
Compared to the ZERO acting nominees for minorities at the last Oscars, being more diverse wasn’t exactly hard. The Emmys this year included 18 nominees of color for acting awards and several women for directing, but like America, many people feel we’ve still got a lot of ground to cover to move forward. Thankfully, she’s the star of the show Superstore, and is looking to lead by example.
"For me, it I love the show because it's from the point of view of regular working class people. I feel like that perspective, that's really right for right now," she said.
Related: America Ferrera Just Clapped Back at the Golden Globes for Confusing Her With Gina Rodriguez
