‘OSCAR’ Outrage! Why Are Black People Surprised?

Some critically acclaimed films by and about Black people don’t make the Oscars list in a major letdown

That was the headline on nbcnews.com on March 12, 2023; from a story dated January 24, 2023, that was reported by Michelle Garcia and Variety.

Among those who were expected to be nominated and weren’t: Viola Davis for “The Woman King” and Danielle Deadwyler, who portrayed Mamie Till-Mobley in “Till.”

Viola Davis, who portrays a warrior protecting the kingdom of Dahomey in “The Woman King,” did not receive an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

While the Golden Globes brought several notable nominations and wins for Black performers in television and film, this year’s Oscar nominations look very different.

The few movies by and about Black people that may have been considered Oscar bait this awards season — including a film about the aftermath of Emmett Till’s lynching in 1955, and “The Woman King” — did not make it to the list of nominations announced Tuesday.

Past Oscar winner and star Viola Davis did not earn a nomination for her depiction of a woman warrior in 19th century West Africa, protecting the kingdom of Dahomey, in “The Woman King.”

“…Till,” starring Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley, chronicles the 14-year-old’s mother during her quest for justice after her child was brutally murdered. The film earned no Academy Award nominations.

Okay, enough of the non-sense. Let’ start with one simple question. What would make black folk think that a movie depicting an incredibly beautiful, strong and dedicated black woman (Viola Davis), as a WARRIOR, could, or would, ever win any Award in white America, much less the Academy Awards.

My next question is what would make black folk think that a movie about a beautiful, strong, and dedicated woman (Danielle Deadwyler), as a MOTHER, depicting undying love, devotion, and commitment to her son, who was murdered (hanged by his neck) in one of the most vicious acts perpetrated against black youth in America?

Africans living in the Diaspora should know better than to believe that white America is going to “Do The Right Thing.”

“When they show you who they are the first time, believe them.” — Maya Angelou

And to add insult to injury, black women were deliberated ignored, with one exception that I will deal with in a minute.

No women were nominated in the directing category, shutting out a handful of Black women who helmed films this year, as it happened with the Golden Globe nominations earlier this year. Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of “The Woman King” starring Davis, was not nominated, nor was Chinonye Chukwu, who directed “Till.”

In December, Chukwu said in an interview with Tyler Perry that she felt inspired to break through the anxiety she had in directing “Till” by doing justice to Black ancestors.

“I had deep, deep anxiety beforehand. because of the significance of the story, and the weight of it, and the responsibility of it,” she said. “And so, I had all that going into it, and then I had to let it all go.” [The sister succeeded.]

The Academy then “poured salt into the wound.”

While the science fiction horror film “Nope” had been lauded by film festivals and critics associations, the movie directed by Oscar winner Jordan Peele and starring Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya and Brandon Perea earned no nominations.

One surprise nominee came for Bryan Tyree Henry who is up for best supporting actor for his role as James Aucoin, an amputee who bonds with a soldier recovering from a traumatic brain injury, as played by Jennifer Lawrence in “Causeway.”

I have nothing against the brother for doing his job, but isn’t it ironic that the only portrayal of a black man is as handicapped human, “bonding” with a white woman, his “master’s wife.”

Now for the exception. I can’t leave out the seriously egregious act as evidenced by the following.

The latest Marvel blockbuster, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” did earn five nominations — Angela Bassett for best supporting actress, Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” for best original song, makeup and hairstyling, costume, and visual effects — Ryan Coogler was not nominated for his directorial efforts. “Wakanda Forever” also failed to match the best picture nod earned by 2018’s “Black Panther” — the first superhero movie nominated for the top Oscar.

Bassett makes superhero cinema history as the first woman, the first person of color and the first Marvel Studios actor to be nominated for an Academy Award for performance in a comic book adaptation. It’s Bassett’s second Oscar nomination; her first came 29 years ago for best actress for 1993’s Tina Turner biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”

I absolutely respect Angela Bassett as a human being, but I must say that nominations for portraying a battered and abused wife of a black villain, and for being a cartoon character, does not improve the self-worth of Diaspora Africans. For the sick racists in America, those roles only verify their belief in white superiority, and strengthens their use of white privilege.

I would absolutely be remiss if I didn’t mention the real “slap in the face” that occurred at the Academy Awards Show in 2002. Halle won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Monster’s Ball.

She played a waitress who had an affair with her convicted husband’s executioner in the 2001 film. I definitely have nothing against Halle Berry, who is still the prettiest woman in Hollywood. But again, I must take issue with a movie depicting a jail guard, the white executioner of her black husband, f**k**g the prettiest black woman in Hollywood. That subliminal message can do a lot of damage to CHOSSA (Children of Stolen and Sold Africans).

The sh*t that our folk go through to earn a living. Denzel winning an Oscar for playing the most corrupt slime-ball cop in America could be, but need not be mentioned.

I need to drop the mic (stop pickin’ and peckin’) before I answer the question, “who controls Hollywood?” I know what Brother Dave Chappelle said he saw, and I have already delt with that subject in another post; but I will deal with it again soon.

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