viola davis gives the best damn acceptance speeches

Many people would probably opt for Morgan Freeman to narrate their life, but I think Viola Davis’ voice would lend itself better to the scores of Black women she speaks for, especially in her acceptance speeches. Most follow a dry, weathered script for acceptance speeches: they thank god, their families, and whatever body is honoring them, followed by a couple of empty phrases, but never for Viola. Every time she steps up to the stage, and lately that has been often, the microphone braces for an awe-inspiring brilliance many aspire to but none do quite as well as Mrs. Davis. Stream her latest acceptance speech from this year’s Oscars as well as her Emmy, SAG-AFTRA, and the countless other speeches in which she’s given us life and wisdom beyond our years.

By T. McLendon, AFROPUNK Contributor