Oscar Wins
For Everybody Black
To create art in the midst of struggle and oppression is a beautiful thing.
It’s what Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston wrote about, Nina Simone and James Brown sang about, and what Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier acted out.
I say those last two because they were the first moments of black history to happen at the Academy Awards.
Fast forward to this year, it’s time to take a look at the wins from “everybody black” at the Oscars this past Sunday.
BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee & Kevin Willmott — Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
We’ve known Lee to be a filmmaking powerhouse since his early days, so it’s about time that he’s getting his props. You might recognize Willmott if you paid attention the the writer’s credits for the movie Chi-Raq. Both of them focus on subjects that offer commentaries on African American culture and I’m so glad they joined forces for this film.
Watch BlacKkKlansman in Theaters
Black Panther
Hannah Beachler — Best Production Design
Beachler made history on Sunday as the first African American to be nominated as well as win in this category. She got her start in Fruitvale Station and her credits since then range from Creed and Beyonce’s Lemonade to Moonlight. If you’re into interior design, this might be a career path to consider!
Ruth E. Carter — Best Costume Design
Carter is probably your favorite movie costume designer and you don’t even realize it. Her designs were featured in School Daze, B*A*P*S*, The Five Heartbeats, What’s Love Got to Do with It and many more iconic black films. She’s also an HBCU grad with a degree from Hampton University.
Watch Black Panther on Netflix
Bohemian Rhapsody
Rami Malek — Best Actor in a Leading Role
Yep, you read that right. Malek grew up in LA with Egyptian immigrant parents, giving him an African American heritage. Through his work playing Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek became inspired to raise awareness and join causes for HIV/AIDS activism.
Watch Bohemian Rhapsody in Theaters
Green Book
Mahershala Ali — Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Ali won this year for his role of Don Shirley and also made history as the first African American actor to win two Oscars in the same category. He also won this award in 2016 for his role of Juan in Moonlight. This man is certainly getting to the money. He also played the voice of Aaron Davis aka The Prowler in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which also took home an Oscar this year.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Regina King — Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Over the years, King has been known to have some pretty serious film roles, but I think the role(s) that resonate most with the millennial crowd are when she played the voices of Riley and Huey Freeman in television’s The Boondocks. This is her first Oscar and it’s certainly well deserved.
Watch If Beale Street Could Talk in Theaters
Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse
Peter Ramsey — Best Animated Feature
Ramsey also made history Sunday as he became the first African American to be nominated and win the award for Best Animated Feature. The reviews of this film have been unanimously good and I think a lot of it can be attributed to the diversity in writing and casting of the characters.
Watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in Theaters
This has been a hallmark year for African Americans in film. Hollywood is starting to recognize what we’ve known all along, African Americans in leading roles can still bring in the money at the box office.
What films were your favorite from this year’s list of Oscar winners? Let us know in the comments on our Instagram page.
*Updated to include the EPIC victory of BlacKkKlansman*
