another full-circle moment last Thursday afternoon, accepting a 2022 Black Women in Hollywood honor just five years after attending the luncheon for the first time ever.
After being honored and introduced by the director of her first-ever film role, Mimi Valdez, Adams took the podium. Donning a stunning purple cocktail dress and already emotional over the kind words spoken about her in the presentation package, she tearfully laughed, “whew, I’m a mess!” before beginning her speech.
While formally accepting the 2022 Ford Vanguard Award, Adams reminisced on her first experience at Black Women in Hollywood, tagging along with her award presenter Mimi Valdez and Bevy Smith to the 2016 luncheon and watching Yara Shahidi, Issa Rae, Aja Naomi King and Janelle Monae receive honors. “Black women from every generation embraced each other physically and spiritually,” she recalled of the experience. “I entered a space that Black women felt safe enough to exhale into.
Essence Black Women in Hollywood is a safe house, a family reunion, a support group, and a fashion show, all wrapped into one.” In a beautiful metaphor, Adams expressed gratitude for her blossoming career comparing herself to a blooming flower.“The more I blossom and expand through this industry, the more I realize that a flower does not grow on its own.
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