Ava DuVernay Brought the Real Central Park Five as Her Emmys 2019 Dates

The star-studded 2019 Emmys red carpet was stocked with television greats, from Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox to Game of Thrones's Emilia Clarke. But thanks to Ava DuVernay, the carpet also celebrated some of the real-life stories behind the acclaimed television when she brought the real Central Park Five to the awards show.

Ava, whose four-part Netflix series When They See Us is nominated for an Outstanding Limited Series Emmy (with 16 noms total), honored the inspiration for the show by bringing Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and Yusef Salaam to the show with her. When They See Us tells their stories — the five black and Latinx teens who were arrested and wrongfully convicted of sexually assaulting a white woman in Central Park in 1989.

The show examines their lives and the systemic racism they faced throughout the trial process and its aftermath; at the time, Donald Trump was a major voice against them, calling for the death penalty in a full-page ad in The New York Times. Ava's decision to bring the now-exonerated men to the awards show felt like a major moment, especially when viewers saw them being interviewed about the series.

"The Central Park Five being on the red carpet at the Emmys is such a f*ck Donald trump moment. I am living for it," one fan tweeted. Another added, "The Central Park Five are at the Emmys with Ava DuVernay . I'm about to start bawling."

Back in August, Ava talked about her close friendship with the five men, saying even then that they would be attending the Emmys with her. She also talked at the time about the title change of the series from Central Park Five to When They See Us. "'Central Park Five' I associate with a moniker that was given to these men and thrust upon them. They did not choose it and it's not who they are," she said. "They are Korey [Wise], Antron [McCray], Raymond [Santana], Kevin [Richardson], and Yusef [Salaam]. They have mothers, they have dreams, they have families, they have beating hearts and are human beings and they're not this moniker, and I didn't want it."

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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: When They See Us Is a Lesson on How Racist Media Directly Affect Black Teens

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue