Taraji P. Henson Gives An Acceptance Speech At Her Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony 1.28.19

I just want to thank all the beautiful fans who came out today because you didn't have to. I can't reach all of you but I want you to know you mean the world to me because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. This is really surreal. I keep, I keep, I keep looking at that star going is this real? You know I've imagined it, I've imagined it and here it is and if any babies are out there I just want you to know that everything I do I think about you. I'm a mom, I have a son. When I set out on this journey I said I'll never give up because if I give up what am I teaching my son? If I give up what am I teaching those who look up to me? So everything I do is for a generation coming behind me because if it were not for the generation before me I wouldn't be standing before you. I'm so honored because it's hard out here for a pimp. Hollywood you know that um that long walk to fame is not easy all the time and uh you have to have a bigger picture and I I knew that when things didn't pop off right away everybody said after baby boy I was gonna be a star. You know what John Singleton does for you for careers and I just for some reason God gave me insight and I knew it wouldn't be that easy and so I was like when it didn't pop off like that for me I was like well then I have another story to tell because if it's so easy how will I transform people and how will I be transformed? So I uh talked to God and I said okay well this is what it's going to be well then I need longevity. I want to be around forever. I want to break through glass ceilings when they tell women over 40 that ah you're done we're sending you out to pasture we're gonna hire something young and sexy but then when I look up and I see these men still performing and doing these kick-ass roles at 60 I'm like wait a minute I still look good you know so I can go out to the pasture so here I am roles um that'll break through glass ceilings so that with these young women coming behind me they won't have the same narrative that we have. We can't drop the torch now ladies out there anybody in the industry but we also need our men that's why I love men I protect them because we need each other we can't bash each other we have to reach across the table and help each other and that's always been my message that's always going to be my message I am for justice for all I love all people I'm really emotional because my mother my grandma my mom is here my son is here my grandmother is here and they are why I do everything I do I work so hard to to make them proud because my grandmother is 94 years old and she's been riding with me y'all she's been to the Oscars with me she's been to both Emmys two Emmy um ceremonies with me and I know she's praying for me because I know God is listening and I know her prayers brought me here I know she never thought she would live to see this I hope you are so proud because this is your legacy mom I remember one time I walked in on you crying over bills and I made a promise to you and I said mom don't you cry no more I'm gonna be rich one day I'm gonna be famous and I'm gonna take care of so I had a lot to live up to because you know I said it so I had to do it then I became then I went on to college to study and I became pregnant with my son and people doubted me they thought it was the end and I just never I will always remember taking my son across the stage he was dancing in my arms like he knew what was going on and when I grabbed him up with my little $700 yes you did God bless you you gonna make it somebody has to sign they said they moved here with $700 too I hope you have a plan though but I just remember when I moved out here and I had my son he was just only one and I said to I just made a promise to him and I just said I'm never gonna give up things are gonna be hard he don't even remember the hard days he remembers the house with the pool but I just made a promise to him and when you love that deep and you make promises you have to keep them and so I'm telling you everything I do is for the the the positive forward movement of humanity and that's how powerful art is I don't take anything for granted every role that I take on is just as special as the last one because I know that if I put my all into it in some way this role transform me then the audience will be transformed and so everything I do is through love and I hope you guys feel it and I just I don't know what to say I'm about to cry these eyelashes off but thank you so much God is very real thank you so much thank you to my fiancee my husband-to-be very soon because I'm a lot and he loves me for all of it and I love you baby so so much thank you thank you for accepting me for my craziness