Sterling K. Brown Is the First Black Man to Win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama

It’s not that surprising that Sterling K. Brown won a Golden Globe for his performance in This Is Us, but his win does mark a historic first for the awards. Brown became the first black man to win the award for Best Actor in a drama in the award’s 75 year history.

In his speech, Brown addressed the lack of well-rounded roles written for people of color:

Throughout the majority of my career, i’ve benefited from colorblind casting which means, you know what, let’s throw a brother in this role, right? Really cool. Dan Fogleman, you wrote a role for a black man. Like that could only be played by a black man. And so what I appreciate so much about this thing is that I’ve been seen for who i am and being appreciated for who I am. And it makes it that much more difficult to dismiss me or dismiss anybody who looks like me. So, thank you, Dan.

Last year, Brown was the first black man in 19 years to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He’s still breaking down barriers.