Who Is Lena Waithe, the First Black Woman to Win an Emmy for Comedy Writing?

Lena Waithe accepts the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award for 'Master of None'
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Writer Lena Waithe accepts the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award for "Master of None" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Lena Waithe is inspiring women everywhere. The Master of None writer/actress the first African-American woman to win an Emmy Award for comedy writing.

She stepped on to the stage to accept her award at Sunday night’s Primetime Emmy Awards for co-writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None along with the show’s creator, Aziz Ansari.

The episode was inspired by her experience of coming out as a gay woman and received high acclaim.

Waithe said in her acceptance speech, “The things that make us different—those are our superpowers.”

She also thanked her girlfriend and spotlighted her LGBTQIA family. Waithe added, “[The world] would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.”

Waithe has written for such shows as Bones and Hello Cupid. She’s currently working on an upcoming Showtime series called The Chi due out in late 2017 and her acting credits include Transparent and Master of None.

Waithe grew up in Chicago and is graduate of Columbia College Chicago.