The nominations for the 95th Oscars were recently announced, and several Black actors and directors were left off the list. The lack of melanin on the docket caused social media to revive the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.

The official list of Oscar nominees was released Tuesday and included a variety of creatives ranging from newcomers to those long overdue for acknowledgment. However, as enthusiasts reviewed the list, they found no women (Black or non-POC) nominated in the best director category, nor were any Black actors nominated for their efforts in lead roles. 

The Woman King felt the double backlash. The biopic’s Black woman director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and its lead actor, Viola Davis, were both overlooked. Nevertheless, the film grossed over $94 million at the box office and has received a nomination from nearly every award show prior to the Oscars.

Jordan Peele’s sci-fi thriller Nope was also disregarded despite its critically acclaimed screenplay. There were also no nominations for lead actors Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya. 

Nigerian American director Chinonye Chukwu posted on Instagram in light of her film’s snubs, as actress Danielle Deadwyler was highly touted to get a nomination for Chukwu’s Till. Deadwlyer portrayed Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till.

Chukwu’s Instagram post stated that some industries are committed to “upholding whiteness.”

“We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women.”

She continued, “And yet. I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.”

 

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Like Chukwu, fans and critics were equally appalled at the lack of acknowledgment of Black people.

Although there was a lack of Black talent in specific categories, some received acknowledgment.

Ruth E. Carter earned her fourth best costume design nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She won the award for Black Panther in 2018. In addition, Rihanna and Tems both received their first nominations for best song with “Lift Me Up.”

Another Black Panther nod went to Angela Bassett for best supporting actress, and Brian Tyree Henry is nominated for best supporting actor.

Also, Asian actors made significant inroads with nominations for Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu.

The Oscars’ lack of reverence for Black contributors is nothing new.

Throughout the award show’s 95 years, only 22 Black men and women have won in an acting category. Two won last year: Will Smith and Ariana DeBose.

Six Black directors have been nominated, but none have walked away with the coveted award. Ava DuVernay is the only Black woman director to have her film nominated for best picture.

A 2012 study from the Los Angeles Times reported some disturbing numbers regarding the diversity of the voters for the awards. Oscar voters at the time were nearly 94% Caucasian and 77% male, while Black voters made up only about 2% of the academy and Latinos less than 2%, according to the Times.

The outlet reported there have been some changes regarding diversity to ensure more Black creatives are acknowledged at the awards.

So yes, while progress has been made, it is clear that actual changes from institutions take time to come, and that is made more evident by these nominations.

Until then, as Chukwu said, industries such as this will continue to uphold whiteness. Instead, we should also celebrate the people of color and their fantastic performances that deserve to be honored.

#OscarsSoWhiteOscars