If you’re not watching Abbott Elementary, you might want to fix that ASAP. Not only is it one of the best and most wholesome new comedies on TV, every episode is worth it for Sheryl Lee Ralph’s regally hilarious line readings alone. And clearly the Television Academy agrees: on Monday night, Ralph won an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as the imdomitable veteran kindergarten teacher Mrs. Howard.
Ralph herself is an entertainment industry veteran, having being nominated for a Tony Award in 1982 for originating the role of Deena Jones in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, and appearing on TV as far back as the late ’70s on shows like Good Times and The Jeffersons. But she’s also the first Black woman since Jackée Harry in 1987 to win this Emmy, and after recovering from her initial shock, she marked the occasion with a moving speech that opened with a verse from Dianne Reeves’ « Endangered Species ».
« I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim’s song, » Ralph belted, her rich voice giving church and Broadway all at once. « I am a woman, I am an artist, and I know where my voice belongs!«
« Anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream… couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like, » she proclaimed. « This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you. »
Ralph’s win and speech begin from 3:38 in the video above.
