For the 93rd annual Academy Awards, we just rooted for everyone Black on Sunday night! Nine of the 20 nominees were people of color; which include new billionaire Tyler Perry, whose kudos are long overdue. Below is a list of the winners:
Soul: Best Animated Feature
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The animated movie, which starred Jamie Foxx as Pixar’s first Black protagonist is now an Oscar-winning film. Jon Batiste also won Best Score for the movie, along with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Daniel Kaluuya: Best Supporting Actor
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Kaluuya portrayed activist legend and Black Panther staple, Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. Directed by Shaka King, Judas tells the story of how the Black Panthers’ chair was betrayed by FBI informant William O’Neal, played by The Photograph’s Lakeith Stanfield, who was also nominated for this award.
H.E.R: Best Song
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The “Damage” singer took home the Academy Award for her song “Fight For You.” The song was featured in the soundtrack for Judas and the Black Messiah.
Trayvon Free and Diddy: Best Live Action Short Film
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Joey Badass, Trayvon Free, and Diddy won the Academy Award for their short film, Two Distant Strangers. The movie, executive produced by Diddy, follows a Black cartoonist who tries to get home to his dog the morning after a first date but ends up getting stuck in a Groundhog Day-like time loop that finds him confronted by a white NYPD officer. Badass also plays the main character.
During their acceptance speech, Trayvon took a moment to shine a light on the real-world problem of Blacks disproportionally targeted and killed by police officers.
“Tomorrow, the police will kill three people. And the day after that, the police will kill three people,” Free said. “I just ask, that you don’t be indifferent. Please don’t be indifferent to our pain.”
Watch Two Distant Strangers on Netflix.
Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson: Best Makeup and Hairstyling
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Neal and Wilson are the first Black women to win an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for their work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. Boseman was also Oscar-nominated for Best Actor. He lost to Anthony Hopkins in The Father, which did not sit well with some.
Neal has worked on The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Uncut Gems (2019). Wilson has worked on Shondaland’s How to Get Away with Murder (2014) and Widows (2018). Costume designer, Ann Roth also won the Academy Award for Best Costume for Ma Rainey. At the age of 89, she is the oldest woman to win an Oscar.
Tyler Perry: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
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We love to see people’s flowers given to them while they are still here to receive them. The crown jewel of the night was Tyler Perry. He was the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The award recognizes the work of people in communities across the country.
During his acceptance speech, he mentioned that his mother taught him when he was younger to refuse hate. It’s a message he hopes will spread to future generations.
“And in this time, with all of the internet and social media and algorithms and everything that wants us to think a certain way, the 24-hour new cycle,” Perry said. “It is my hope that all of us would teach our kids, and I want to remember: just refuse hate. Don’t hate anybody.”
