This year, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences (the Academy) nominated twenty actors for Oscars. Of the twenty, none are people of color. The lack of color prompted an Oscar boycott led by Hollywood power couple Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith.
I fully support the efforts of The Smiths and others to not just say something about racism in Hollywood, but to do something about it. But as I looked at various takes the controversy, I realized that one point was missing: Even when actors of color are nominated, they are usually nominated for roles that are racially problematic.
As I have said in this space before, it is not the responsibility of those in film and television to make whites less racist; that is an obligation of the white community. However, because racial segregation still exists in our society, media depictions of non-whites carry more weight than those of their white counterparts. So, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the history of African American nominees to see not just how many there are, but what types of roles earned nominations.
A few notes before I proceed:
1. What follows is not at all scientific. It is not mathematical. (Being a lawyer, I relate to math the way a snake relates to a mongoose.) However, I did use some (very loose) guidelines.
2. Rather than describe the roles as “positive” or “negative” – thereby subtly falling into the politics of respectability – I chose to characterize each role as one that either reinforces preexisting stereotypes of African Americans as criminal, servile, unintelligent or the like or one that challenges such stereotypes. A role could also be characterized as “both” if some parts of the role reinforced stereotypes while others did not. Some are classified as “no data” because I am not familiar with the film. (As I said, this review is not at all scientific.)
3. Reinforcing does not mean that the character is an awful human being with no redeeming qualities. It simply means that the character falls within accepted stereotypes of African Americans rather than challenging the viewer to reconsider those stereotypes. For instance, Lupita Nyong’o’s Patsy from 12 Years a Slave is a well-written character trying to hold on to her dignity against impossible odds. However, she is still a slave.
4. Nothing that follows is meant to comment on the actors that took these roles, other than to say that they all gave amazing performances. These people are true magicians, as they so often take roles of straw and spin them into gold, infusing even reinforcing roles with depth, dignity, and humanity.
5. This article focuses on African American actors because that is the pool with the largest population. (The exclusion of other people of color from film and television is a topic that merits separate discussion.)
6. I am sure that as some may dispute my characterizations of these roles. If you do, please see point #1 above.
And now, the nominees are:
Best Actor, Male
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Best Actor, Female
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Best Supporting Actor, Male
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Best Supporting Actor, Female
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It should come as little surprise that most of the roles do little to challenge racial stereotypes. This disparity matters because as long as American neighborhoods and schools remain racially segregated – and both certainly are – our media will continue to play an important role in telling the white majority what to think about people of color. As long as this reality exists, it would likely be better for the media to produce art that challenges stereotypes.
What should be done? Cheryl Boone Isscacs, the president of the Academy and a woman of color, recently announced that the Academy will be taking affirmative steps to double its diverse membership. That is a step in the right direction, but it is not nearly enough. There must also be change in the writers’ rooms, in the directors’ chairs, and the C-suites of all Hollywood studios. Perhaps if more people of color were involved in these processes, not only would more stories about African Americans, Asian Americans, and others be told, but more types of stories as well. When that finally happens, no matter who is nominated, we will all be winners.