In a 2020 Vanity Fairinterview, Viola, who is one award away from reaching EGOT status, reflected on what it was like growing up as a dark-skinned girl. “When I was younger, I did not exert my voice because I did not feel worthy of having a voice,” she said. She credited her sisters and her mother for helping her find her way. “[They] looked at me and said I was pretty,” she said.

“Who’s telling a dark-skinned girl that she’s pretty? Nobody says it. I’m telling you, Sonia (interviewer) nobody says it. The dark-skinned Black woman’s voice is so steeped in slavery and our history. If we did speak up, it would cost us our lives. Somewhere in my cellular memory was still that feeling—that I do not have the right to speak up about how I’m being treated, that somehow I deserve it. I did not find my worth on my own.”

And although she still sometimes struggles with speaking up, when she does use her voice, she makes sure she is advocating for herself and the women like her. In 2016, Viola opened up to The Cut about redefining beauty. “Just like we have to redefine strength, we have to redefine beauty,” she said.

“It’s not even about beautiful, it’s about being who you are. It’s about being honest. It’s about stepping into This is how I am in private, this is how I look, this is how I act, this is my mess, this is my strength, this is my beauty, this is my intelligence, and then putting it out there that this is who I am.”

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