Lena Waithe pays tribute to fellow trailblazers in heartfelt speech at MTV Awards

Game-changer Lena Waithe gave a major shoutout to her fellow trailblazers at the MTV Movie and TV Awards, urging folks to acknowledge those who have fought for acceptance and diversity in the past.

Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an image of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to seek the nomination for U.S. president, Waithe received the Trailblazer Award at this year's MTV Awards on Saturday.

It's an award given to game-changers in the industry, who pave the way for new, diverse voices in entertainment.

Waithe was acknowledged for her groundbreaking work in the industry — she's the first black woman to win an Emmy for writing a comedy series for Master of None, creator and executive producer of The Chi, and a hardworking LGBTQ activist, to name a few things.

Rapper Common presented "the amazing, always inspiring, revolutionary, incomparable," Waithe with her award, praising his friend for her role as a mentor for emerging writers.

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Waithe took the moment to dedicate her award to queer trailblazers before her, particularly highlighting people featured in Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning. The film delves into the ballroom subculture of '80s New York, characterised by black, Latino, gay and transgender communities.

"Watch it and find out where you got your culture from," Waithe said, noting that although many of the people featured in the film have since passed away, their legacies would live on.

"Every time someone says shade or talks about reading or just decides to serve face for no reason at all, please look up to the sky and give thanks because we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

"They strutted through a brick wall so we wouldn't have to."