Skip to Video Player

How Shirley Chisholm’s Legacy Inspired Uzo Aduba to Honor Breonna Taylor at the Emmys

Uzo Aduba won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role as Shirley Chisholm in FX’s “Mrs. America.” After her win, she talked with “Extra’s" Rachel Lindsay.

Uzo said the award means a lot to her because she was playing the first Black woman elected to Congress, in 1968. “It means everything," she said, "To know that story, the beginnings and genesis of her story, to play it in this time when we are revisiting a lot of the culture wars that are addressed in 'Mrs. America,' it feels especially poignant and humbling.”

Aduba also made a statement with her fashion, wearing a Breonna Taylor shirt. She explained, “Shirley Chisholm, she represented the voiceless — that was her mission for going to Congress, to create safe space and be able to use her platform to represent those people who are often forgotten. This felt like the most appropriate thing to do as a Black woman and a woman playing her character… to really do what Shirley Chisholm would do and to hold space for those who aren’t really given space, who are often forgotten or left behind.”

The Latest