Lena Waithe is Hollywood’s next big thing. She’s a producer, actress, and writer who caught our attention when she played the role of Denise on Netflix’s Master of None original series.

As Denise, she was cool, chill, witty, and a bit sarcastic. All the makings of a character we can’t get enough of and now she’s being recognized for all her black girl magic in real life.

Lena Waithe has made history for being the first black woman to be nominated for an Emmy for comedy writing. Her response? She had no idea she was even the first black woman to have the nomination.

The fact that we still have the “the first black” this or the “first woman” to do that says a lot about how behind we are as a society. Lena Waithe’s nomination is very deserving because the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None was written beautifully. Let’s hope this has opened the door for more black women comedic writers to walk through.

Congrats Lena!