As the crimson carpet unfurled Wednesday at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood for the 97th Academy Awards, the entertainment world entered the final whirlwind of pre-Oscar festivities leading up to Sunday’s grand ceremony. Against this backdrop of anticipation, the 18th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards delivered a powerful celebration of Black women’s excellence in television and film on Thursday at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.

The star-studded gathering honored this year’s remarkable recipients: Cynthia Erivo, Teyana Taylor, Marla Gibbs, and Raamla Mohamed, drawing an impressive assembly of industry luminaries including our very own trailblazer, Ruth Negga. True to its theme “Scene and Unseen,” the event illuminated stories, performances, and contributions that often remain overlooked despite their profound impact on entertainment. Since its inception, these awards have recognized not only celebrated figures but also the unsung pioneers breaking barriers in Hollywood.

Among the distinguished attendees was Ruth Negga, whose journey exemplifies the diversity of paths to artistic excellence. Born in Addis Ababa in 1982 to an Irish mother and Ethiopian father, Negga’s early life was marked by tragedy when her father died in a car accident when she was just seven. After living in Ethiopia until age four, she relocated to Ireland, where her education eventually led her to Trinity College, Dublin, where she earned a BA in drama before immediately immersing herself in theater work.

Though nominated as “Most Promising Newcomer” at the 2003 Olivier Awards—an honor she playfully recalled missing by telling The Observer, “I stole the cutlery when I didn’t win”—Negga’s persistence led to roles in television series like LOVE IS THE DRUG and DOCTORS, followed by CAPITAL LETTERS in 2004. Her breakthrough came during an audition for Neil Jordan’s BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, so impressing the director that he altered the script to accommodate her talent. “I didn’t know much about her when she came to the casting,” Jordan remarked, “but the moment I saw her act, I decided to change the script so that she could appear in the movie.”

Today, Negga shares her London home with actor Dominic Cooper, known for MAMMA MIA!, whom she met while performing in the National Theatre’s PHEDRE in 2009. Her critically acclaimed performance in LOVING, portraying Mildred Loving alongside Joel Edgerton’s Richard, brought to life the courageous story of an interracial couple who married in 1958 despite Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws, resulting in their arrest and expulsion from the state—a powerful narrative that resonates with the ESSENCE Awards’ commitment to making the unseen seen.

As the fashion-forward attendees of the ESSENCE ceremony prepare to grace the upcoming Oscar celebration, their stunning ensembles offer a tantalizing preview of Sunday’s style spectacle, promising that the culmination of awards season will be as visually magnificent as it is culturally significant. The convergence of these events underscores Hollywood’s evolving recognition of diverse voices and stories, creating moments of celebration that ripple far beyond the red carpet.