Viola Davis became the first Africa-American woman to win the Emmy's top acting award - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - last night, thanking her fellow black actresses for persevering in an industry where the roles are often "simply not there" for people of colour.
Accepting her award for ABC's How To Get Away With Murder, Davis held the room with her powerful speech and left some other actresses such as Scandal star Kerry Washington in tears.
She quoted the 19th century African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman, saying: "In my mind, I see a line, and over that line I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line.
"But I can't seem to get there no how. I can't seem to get over that line."
Davis spoke of the inequality in opportunities and said: "Let me tell you something. The only thing that separates women of colour from anyone is opportunity. You cannot win Emmys for roles that are simply not there."
Backstage she said she was working to erase "the line", in part by setting up a production company, presumably to expand the opportunities available.
Recently Lenny Henry has campaigned to increase diversity in the British media.
So it seems both here and in America there is serious work to be done.
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