Jharrel Jerome has etched his name in the Emmy history books…
The 21-year-old Dominican American actor’s Emmy Awards win has earned him two places in the record books.
The star of Netflix’s When They See Usmade history as the youngest person to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie as well as the first Afro-Latino to win for acting.
“It’s a blessing and I hope this is a step forward for Dominicans, for Latinos, for Afro Latinos. It’s about time we’re here,” said Jerome backstage reflecting on his win. After learning that he was also the youngest to win in history backstage, “well damn, that’s incredible.. kids are smart too,” he quipped.
Jerome earned the trophy for his portrayal of exonerated five member Korey Wise, who, as an adolescent, was wrongfully convicted of a crime, which led to a 14-year incarnation stint.
On the Academy continuing to recognize dark narratives in regards to Black stories, “Unfortunately, I think our strongest stories are the stories of pain considering that’s what we go through on a daily basis. It is unfortunate that comedies or light pieces of work aren’t as praised and aren’t sent to the award season,” said Jerome. “The truth is our pain needs to be told. So if it has to be for the next 20 years where we are just painfully telling our stories until we can move on then I guess it has to be.”
