I like a good awards show acceptance speech as much as the next gal, but I hate when they go on for too long. Luckily, Taraji P. Henson and I are on the same page. Not only was Henson's acceptance speech at the 2016 BET Awards for Best Actress fairly short (no waxing poetic here), but it was also inspirational and featured an important message.
I’m so glad that Henson is in the spotlight. She was great in Hustle & Flow and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but it was her role as Cookie Lyon on FOX’s hit show Empire that brought her to the stratosphere of fame. Cookie is, well, one tough cookie, and you know that some of Henson’s personality has been written to Cookie’s no-holds-barred character. Henson deserves everything she wins playing Cookie — she’s so entertaining, but she plays Cookie with so much emotion, too. Mimicking her onscreen counterpart, Henson went hard and fast in the messages of her acceptance speech — that one should be appreciative not only to God (if that’s your thing) but to the people who inspire you, and that one should not be apathetic to the political process (or else someone really bad might win). Henson said:
Y’all know I got to thank God first, the Lord… ‘Cause you know you send up blessings, they come back down, don’t forget that. This is amazing. BET is always… it’s home, you know? It’s us. Black people being beautiful, doing incredible things, so… this is the most… one of my favorite awards, cause this is the award.
She continued:
And again, you know I hate, you know I’m really not political, but it’s serious out here. And for those who think that, you know, ‘He’s not gonna win,’ think again. So, we really need to pull together and turn this country around, ‘cause… yeah. And again, to all the beautiful women in the industry, I love you all. I look up to you all. You all inspire me to do great things — my sisters, I love you. Thank you, BET!
Henson doesn’t mince words! She’s secure in herself and her beliefs, and she thinks that everyone needs to get out there and vote to make sure that Donald Trump doesn’t become president. You know, caring about something — anything, really — is not a bad message. I can’t say that I disagree with her, and I appreciate that she gave a powerful speech that felt true to her and would inspire the masses.
