This year’s Oscars, the 91st Academy Awards, was one for the books! Not only were there a lot of black nominees, but there was a surprising amount of them who won! There were plenty of firsts this Oscar season and I couldn’t be more proud. Let’s take a look at some of those winners.
Best Supporting Actress: If Beale Street Could Talk- REGINA KING
This was Regina King’s first Oscar nomination, and she won! Best Supporting Actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk. She started off as Brenda Jenkins in the hit show, 227, and has been a part of many influential movies. From movies such as Friday, Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice, This Christmas, and shows such as The Boondocks and Seven Seconds, Regina King has shown us that this Oscar nomination was long overdue. In her acceptance speech, she made sure to thank her mom and ended with “God is good, all the time.” Regina King has been in this industry for over 20 years and something tells me this is just the beginning of her many accolades to come. P.S. I called it. I knew she was going to not only get nominated but win :)
Best Supporting Actor: Green Book- MAHERSHALA ALI
This is actually Mahershala Ali’s second Academy Award. He won Best Supporting Actor back in 2017 for his role in Moonlight. This year, he won for his amazing performance in the movie Green Book. Ali’s other work includes Hidden Figures, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Supremacy, Luke Cage, True Detective, and more. His recognitions are well deserved. If he’s on the screen, just know you’re about to believe whatever it is his character wants you to believe. I’m ready to see what else Mahershala Ali has up his sleeve and I’m sure it’ll be another award-winning performance!
Best Adapted Screenplay: BlacKkKlansman- SPIKE LEE
Spike Lee has been making films for 30 years and this is his FIRST Oscar win; that’s huge! He’s been nominated before back in 1990 for his movie Do The Right Thing, which had two nominations, but neither won. Lee was so excited that he jumped on Samuel L. Jackson, who was presenting the award. It’s a moment we’ll always remember. Spike Lee graduated from Morehouse College, which explains why he was at Clark Atlanta University a few weeks ago, and randomly popped up in my classroom, which made watching him receive an Oscar even more surreal. Spike Lee has created so many films for the culture and for the people period that will resonate with us for many years. Some of his work includes She’s Gotta Have It, Jungle Fever, School Daze, Malcolm X, Love & Basketball, The Best Man, Crooklyn, and many more.
Best Costume Design: Black Panther- RUTH E. CARTER
Ruth E. Carter took home the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on Black Panther. She is the FIRST Black woman to win this category at the Oscars! Black Panther was the movie of 2018 and continues to get a lot of shine, and it was nice seeing the woman behind the amazing costumes have her time to shine. Carter also attended an HBCU, Hampton University. HBCU’s seem to produce all of the stars! She’s even worked on some of Spike Lee’s movies such as Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. Over the years, Ruth E. Carter has worked on a variety of films, and some of her other works include Amistad, Selma, and the show Roots.
Best Production Design: Black Panther- HANNAH BEACHLER
Hannah Beachler is another first. She is the FIRST Black woman to win in her category as well! Black Panther really had some stars working on their set, in front, and behind the scenes. Beachler was a production designer for Beyonce’s Lemonade, Moonlight, Creed, Fruitvale Station, Miles Ahead, and others. At the end of her acceptance speech, she said, “I give the strength to all of those who come next to keep going, to never give up. And when you think it’s impossible, just remember…this piece of advice I got from a very wise woman: I did my best and my best is good enough.” A word.
Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse- PETER RAMSEY
Another first! Peter Ramsey is the FIRST Black director to win for Best Animated Feature! The main character, Miles Morales, was a Black-Puerto Rican kid from Brooklyn, New York, who portrayed Spider-man, which I’m sure put a smile on a lot of kid’s faces. His other animated works include Rise of the Guardians and Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space. Like all of the other ‘firsts’ he is paving the way, and opening doors for other African Americans interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
This was a record-breaking Oscars, with all of these African American winners! The only way to go from here is up. If we continue to support and shed light on our people, we will continue to win. Congratulations to ALL of the Academy winners, but I wanted to focus on these six, who have been in the industry grinding and working extremely hard. It was just exceptionally nice to see their hard work be recognized. What a way to end Black History Month! #WEWON