by Brittany Dawson

I was crowned the title “awkward Black girl” in the seventh grade.

Other than my parent’s collection, I didn’t personally own magazines popular within the African American community, like JET Magazine or Essence. Harry Potter books consumed all the space in my locker where others thought Chris Brown posters should’ve been.

Yesterday, Shonda Rhimes was on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter’s new issue. The caption underneath her read, “This is TV’s savior.” This came just one day after Viola Davis performed one of the most important scenes in recent pop culture on “How to Get Away with Murder” (a show that Rhimes serves as executive producer of): Davis’ character, Annalise Keating, is shown removing her wig, running her hands through her natural hair, and stripping off her makeup. This is an idea Davis had herself, and pitched to the series creator, Peter Nowalk.