Yahoo Finance Screen Queens Rising : Halle Berry Says She Has to 'Prove' Herself as a Black Woman in Hollywood
Soul of a Nation's latest special is exploring the unique experiences of Black women in Hollywood.
In Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising, airing Thursday on ABC, Halle Berry, Tessa Thompson, Debbie Allen, Marla Gibbs, Jackée Harry and more open up about the struggles and triumphs they have faced throughout their careers.
"The special examines how Black actresses of Hollywood have become power brokers and the iconic moments and roles have paved the way for them today," the network said in a release, noting that the hour-long feature will also examine the history of Black women in Hollywood and honor "those who blazed the trail."
In PEOPLE's exclusive first look at Screen Queens Rising, Berry, 55, says, "I feel like I'm someone who is always asked to prove themselves, over and over and over and over again. I'm always having to prove."
ABC/Matt Petit
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Thompson then says the evolution of Black women in Hollywood is "constantly fighting for recognition," while Allen, 72, says it has been "a long chain of hard work, pain, joy, success, failure."
"The fight has been consistent," Berry says. "Obstacle after obstacle, fight every single day."
"It's complex just like our own history," Girls Trip's Regina Hall comments, later adding, "It's 2022 and women are struggling and also thriving — both are true."
At one point, ABC News senior national affairs correspondent Deborah Roberts asks Thompson, 38, about colorism in Hollywood — "Is there a different journey for women depending on the tone of your skin, would you say, in Hollywood?"
"Absolutely," Thompson replies.
ABC News/Kyusung Gong
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The women go on to emphasize the importance of working together, and always moving forward rather than back.
"We have to hold each other up," Hall, 51, says, while Thompson similarly adds, "When we are banded together we are in much better shape in terms of making change."
"I'm a fighter. My entire career, that's been my reality and my hope is, for the Tessa Thompsons and the Zendayas, that their fight will be indelibly easier," Berry says.
Hall says the future for Black women in Hollywood is "bright," while Allen calls it, "unlimited."
"I don't see us going backward, that won't happen," Berry concludes.
Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising airs Thursday (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
