Friendship Pt. 1

I’ll probably have many different posts on friendship before it’s all said and done, but here’s pt. 1 for today…

Lena Waithe and Aziz Ansari won an Emmy last night for an episode of the awesome show Master of None on Netflix. The episode was co-written by the two and was inspired by Lena’s real life coming out to her mother and showed how things looked at different Thanksgiving dinners, year after year. She is also the first African American women to ever win the category of Writing in a Comedy Series. You can’t see it in this clip, but when they are announced winners, there audience even gave them a standing ovation. It was pretty amazing.

This clip is towards the end of her speech, as she is thanking her LGBTQIA brothers and sisters and telling them to “put on their capes” because “the world wouldn’t be as bright without us”. Yes, this speech had me tearing up.

One of the biggest things I also noticed was how Aziz stepped back. He knew that Lena shared her story and this was her first win of this prestigious award. He just stood there smiling, a totally doting friend.

That’s what hit me- you could tell he was so proud of her and wanted to make sure she got to soak up every moment she could on stage and (I’m sure) afterwards. He didn’t forget whose story the episode told. He was what I can only see as a true friend.

Seeing this simple act of letting this person you care about so much take a step forward and get the credit they deserve and taking it all in, that is only something a friend who truly cares would do. I am so inspired to take some of that love and positivity that Lena and Aziz show through their acting and also on the Emmy stage last night and spread it around to folks I care about as well.