Angela Bassett's legacy keeps getting better and better. After three decades of giving us remarkable performances and racking up awards, the legendary actress can now call herself an Emmy winner.
She recently won her first Emmy for outstanding narration on National Geographic’s nature documentary Queens during the Creative Arts Emmys. She opened up about the win to a reporter. “This is one of the big ones, and that doesn’t usually happen,” she said.
“Whenever you’re acknowledged, I’m just, you know, a girl who just wanted to act. My mentors were way out ahead of me. I just looked to them and got inspiration and hope and, and I just put my focus, my energy, and my love to try to make it happen in my life and for my life.”
She concluded, “So each and every day, I try to remember that first love, and when this happens, I appreciate it.” In honor of Angela's recent achievement, we take a look at her extraordinary career.
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Academy Awards
In January 2024, the 66-year-old actress received an honorary Oscar for her esteemed career. This came after being nominated for the prestigious award twice, in 1994 for What's Love Got to Do with It and in 2023 for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. During her speech, she reflected on her journey, her love for acting, and praised other Black actresses.
"Thank you, thank you to the Academy and the Board of Governors for this award," she said. "I have considered acting my calling and not just my career. I do this work because I find it meaningful and I hope in some way that it makes a difference and has an impact. To be recognized in this way for what I love doing is truly wonderful and I am beyond grateful."
Critics Choice Award
The mom of two won Best Supporting Actress at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
BET Awards
The 9-1-1 actress won Best Actress at the 2023 BET Awards.
Golden Globes
In 2023, Angela received a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She won her first Golden Globe in 1994 for her starring role in What's Love Got to Do with It.
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Black Girls Rock!
In 2019, Angela was the recipient of the Icon Award for Black Girls Rock! She gave a rousing speech while accepting the award. "My purpose as a Black woman, as an actress, has always been to portray excellence on the screen, to be proud, unapologetic, and without regret," she said.
NAACP Image Awards
The decorated actress has won countless Image awards. In 2020, 2022, and 2023, Angela won Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for 9-1-1. In 2023, she took home awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the Entertainer of the Year.
Other films/ series she has Image awards for include What's Love Got to Do with It, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Black Nativity, Music of the Heart, Ruby's Bucket of Blood, The Score, Malcolm X, Sunshine State, The Rosa Parks Story, and ER.
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Angela took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Black Panther at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Walk of Fame
Photo by Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage
The legendary received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20, 2008. During the ceremony, she reflected on when she first moved to L.A. to pursue her dreams. “I meant to stay six months, but I stayed. Today, my cup runneth over!” she said in her speech. “I am crying now, I cried yesterday and the day before. … This day is so, so special to me.”
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RELATED
Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
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“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
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While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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