Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis Just Made Emmy History and It’s. About. Time.

All together now: finally!

In all the craziness that comes with Emmy nominations, one major surprise came out of the announcement this morning that has us feeling all kinds of relieved…and totally proud. Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson, both nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In a Drama Series for How To Get Away With Murder and Empire, respectively, have officially made history. How? This is the first time that two black women have earned an Emmy nomination in the same year in this category. It’s about time!

In fact, before Kerry Washington’s 2013 nomination for Scandal, the last black woman to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series was Cicely Tyson in 1995. Which is ridiculous. (But let’s also give some props to Tyson for bringing it all full circle by locking in an Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series nomination for How To Get Away With Murder!). Now that that glaring mistake on the part of Emmy voters has been remedied, it’s high time to fix another. Get this: a black woman has never won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Ever. And that’s a damn shame.