History at The Grammys: How Women of Color Are Making A Break Through
-photo by Martdiz
History was made at the 63rd Grammys Sunday, as women have finally received the recognition they deserve. The Grammy Awards is a ceremony held in the United States where awards are presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the music industry. This year was monumental because women- especially women of color- were finally recognized for their hard work after years of sexism. Back in 2018 a #GrammysSoMale and other sexist conspiracies were being derived from the Grammys after being a predominantly male dominated show. The movement started after only one female artist, Alessia Cara, won an award during the three-and-a-half hour telecast showing the large gender gap in the Recording Academy’s preferences. Looking back through the history of the Grammys, there has been a long disproportionate love of men and white people in general.
However, times have changed as the 2021 Grammy Awards proved monumental in feminist movements. Social media has blown up with support and appreciation for all the women who have been recognized for all their achievements. Beyonce herself not only won four awards that night, but she has broken the record for being the only person to hold the most Grammy wins for the female category, but she also holds the title all across the board even surpassing her male competitors as well. Beyonce won best R&B performance for “Black Parade” along with three other awards, making her the most decorated woman in Grammy History. She now currently owns 28 trophies, tying her with Quincy Jones for the second most Grammy Award winnings ever, and if she wins just four more Grammys in her career, she will become the most award-winning artist ever.
The excitement does not stop there, as more women of color were given their rightful place within the spotlight. Megan Thee Stallion, American rapper and singer-songwriter, won the best new artist. Her song “Savage” (featuring Beyonce) also earned her the award for best rap performance and best rap song at the Grammys, making her the first female rapper to win the latter category. Megan Thee Stallion has worked her way to the top, and even artists like Billie Eilish gave her recognition.
Billie Eilish, a female American singer, songwriter, and musician, won two Grammys at the 2021 award ceremony. Her song “Everything I wanted” earned her record of the year. During her acceptance speech, Eilish stated she feels Megan Thee Stallion should have been awarded the award stating “I’m embarrassed. Megan, girl, I was gonna write a speech about how you deserve this, but then I was like there is no what they are going to choose me.” Eilish told Megan she believes her year was hard to beat and had the socially distanced audience cheer for all Megan’s accomplishments. It was a socially pivotal moment because not only are women being recognized within a hard industry, but women of color are being acknowledged, accepted, and awarded for all their accomplishments as well by peers as well.
Making waves in history, Tiffany Haddish had an emotional reaction to being told she had won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. Tiffany was in the middle of set for her show “Kids Say the Darndest Things” when the producers told her she had won. The 41-year-old comedian had won the award for her Netflix special, ‘Black Mitzvah’. She went on to tell the children around her “a black woman has not won that category since 1986”. The last Grammy for Best Comedy Album to go to a woman of color had gone to Whoopi Globerg 35 years prior. In order to win the award, Haddish beat out Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswald, Bill Burr, and Jim Gaffigan.
She continues to explain why she was crying to the children on set saying “there are a lot of bumpy roads that you cross and you just got to believe in yourself and put your best foot forward and give the world the best you got”. She has stated in past interviews she would like to create more opportunities for others, and by winning the grammy, she took the opportunity to encourage the other little girls around her to work hard and do their best. By doing so, she has opened a window for those young ladies, and others like them, to go after their dreams.
The awards were a milestone in the right direction for women of color. Social media has lit up with support and emotional response from the black community saying “when we come together, we change the world”. Artists like Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion, and comedian, Tiffany Haddish are just the beginning for the recognition the community deserves. Beyonce’s speech brought empowerment to the black community as she dedicated and uplifted them. 2020 had been a hard year with the Black Lives Matter movement and political protesting, but the 63rd Grammys made history and moved in the right direction by supporting and acknowledging not only women but women of color for all their hard work and dedication to their jobs.
