Emmy Awards 2020: Regina King and Uzo Aduba wear Breonna Taylor T-shirts for virtual ceremony

‘When I saw my sister Uzo had on the same shirt, it was a confirmation that this was right,’ King said

Regina King and Uzo Aduba wear Breonna Taylor T-shirts at the 2020 Emmy Awards (AFP PHOTO / American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. )

Regina King and Uzo Aduba paid tribute to Breonna Taylor at the 2020 Emmy Awards by wearing T-shirts in her honour during the virtual ceremony.

On Sunday 21 September, King took home the Emmy Award for Best Actress in Limited Series or TV Movie for her performance in Watchmen, while Aduba won Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her role in Mrs America.

While delivering their respective acceptance speeches, the actors both wore T-shirts paying homage to Taylor, King's featuring a picture of Taylor's face with the message "Say Her Name" written above.

On 13 March this year, Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was shot dead by police officers in her home after they entered her property, her family said.

The T-short King wore for the Emmys was the same one she previously shared a photograph of herself wearing on Instagram.

One side of the T-shirt features the picture of Taylor, while the other side features a message that reads: “Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor.”

Aduba’s T-shirt, on the other hand, featured Taylor’s name written in a gold, cursive font.

During the Emmys, King said she felt encouraged about wearing her T-shirt after seeing Aduba in hers.

"When I saw my sister Uzo had on the same shirt, it was a confirmation that this was right," the actor told reporters on the night.

Aduba also praised King for wearing her T-shirt, saying that the Watchmen star “is who she says she is, which is my favourite thing about her”.

“I loved when I saw her shirt, and standing in it with such strength and power that we all know she has,” the Orange Is The New Black star said. 

"She's a born leader, and it made me so happy to see her wear it and to know that we are saying her name."

On 10 August, King shared a post on Instagram calling for justice in the wake of Taylor’s death.

The actor said it had been “150 days since Breonna Taylor was murdered in her sleep” adding that “her killers have not been charged”.

“Too often Black women who die from police violence are forgotten. Let’s stay loud, keep demanding justice for Breonna and her family, and SAY HER NAME," she stated.