Actress, producer and screenplay writer, Lena Waithe, took home the award for Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBTQ character) at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. Her work on the “Thanksgiving” episode of the Netflix series Master of None, which was partially based on her own coming out experience with her mother, earned Waithe the honor. Halle Berry presented Waithe with the award, a remarkable exchange between two generations of black Hollywood actresses, as Waithe once cited Berry as an inspiration after becoming the first black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002. The event will air exclusively on Logo on April 18, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT.
While presenting Waithe with the accolade, Berry said: "You cannot underestimate the power of seeing yourself on the screen. It makes you feel legitimate and included, and helps other people understand who you are and where you come from. And each story builds on the next. It’s like the old saying goes: behind every great Black Panther is a great black Catwoman."
In her speech, Waithe called for the entire LGBTQ community to come together as a family in unity.
Lena Waithe is expanding her acting resume, having a role in Stephen Spielberg’s film Ready Player One. She also is no stranger to activism, but does it in ways that strike very close to her core. In her cover story for Vanity Fair, Waithe expressed wanting to help more people of color and queer artists break into the entertainment industry. She mentors those who have the desire, talent, and potential to elevate their platforms, and has even offered to bring scripts to life that meet her criteria.
The 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented by Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Vodka, and Wells Fargo. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories from the LGBTQ community and issues that build support for equality and acceptance.
