Lena Waithe’s Story About Getting Whoopi Goldberg on the Phone Is a Delightful Triumph

Earlier this month, the Director’s Guild of America’s African American Steering Committee held an event honoring Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, and Fox’s Shots Fired. (Also, she’s about to become the first woman of color to direct a major superhero movie, Marvel’s upcoming Silver and Black.) A number of colleagues paid tribute to Prince-Bythewood including actors Sanaa Lathan, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Regina Hall, and Master of None’s Lena Waithe, who shared this hilarious and touching anecdote from her days as Prince-Bythewood’s assistant.

Long story short: the world is awful, watch this fun video.

Between “Use the name, use the credit” and “Be great,” I think I have enough life advice to get me by—or at least to get Whoopi Goldberg on the phone.