WATCH: Issa Rae Present Raamla Mohamed's Award At ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood

Watch as actor and producer Issa Rae presents Raamla Mohamed&#039;s Visionary Award.

Transcript

00:00Hey, you guys. Thank you so, so much. I am so happy to be here to present my friend Ramala

00:10with a much deserved Visionary Award. I was just so honored when she texted me, hey girl,

00:18Carrie can't present me anymore, can you? And so, here I am, a proud, humble, second

00:28choice to Carrie Washington. I really love Ramala with all of my heart. I mean that.

00:40This is going to sound really weird, but I've been a fan of Ramala's since I was 12. I was

00:46in middle school, seventh grade to be exact. And so, I would see Ramala and her beautiful

00:51black girlfriends walking around on campus and they were always clicked up, rocking the

00:55finest of 90s gear. I'm talking Guess, Tommy, Nautica, just LA black girls. And they were

01:06just so cool to me and I imagined that I'd grow up to have a clique of girlfriends just

01:11like them and maybe I'd even be their friend, like a 12-year-old kicking it with teenagers.

01:16That would be crazy. Eventually, my mom took me out of Brentwood because, in her words,

01:23I was too far and too white and then over-corrected by sending me to high school in Compton. But

01:29luckily, I was reconnected by chance to the beautiful black girl Brentwood clique about

01:3715 years later and I was so excited to be reacquainted with them, even though they did

01:42not know me or even remember me at all. They welcomed me with open arms. And as I was trying

01:49to break into the industry myself via my web series, I was so impressed by how Ramala

01:53was able to climb the ranks from interning and PA-ing to becoming a writer and producer

01:58on one of the most game-changingly inspirational shows, Scandal. And now, having created her

02:04own game-changing, incredible show, which is multifaceted, unapologetically black, she

02:13is still every bit as generous with that knowledge and encouragement. Also proudly rooted in

02:18her culture, her love for and support of black women is undeniable, and so is her determination

02:24to showcase us in our totality. Congratulations on your award. It's been a pleasure to watch

02:29you win, and I can't wait to see what other brilliance you'll bless us with during what

02:33I know will be a long reign of a career.