Culture | the porch | Terence Poole
For the past several years, at the start of the awards season, major award shows, more specifically the Academy Awards announce their nominees of respective categories and to our ‘surprise’ a black performer who is deserving of the recognition is left off their ballots. If we are nominated, only two out of ten times will they even vote for someone who is black to win an Oscar. History shows that the Academy was never fair to any race other than white performers.
On May 16, 1929 the Academy Awards were created to recognize ‘excellence’ in film highlighting acting, directing, and costume design. Since then, the Academy Awards have become a prestigious and well-respected awards ceremony. To even be nominated for an Oscar is a huge deal. The year 1929 was also the era of Jim Crow laws (separate but equal), while African Americans were allowed to act in white productions they were subjected to roles only known as “the help.” They were cast on screen as maids, butlers, slaves, etc. In most instances, when their role called for an African American, the white performers would simply throw on black face and were instructed to portray/make fun of the Black race in the worst way possible. As if black face wasn’t humiliating enough, an even earlier time than whites in blackface, African Americans were forced to wear blackface as well.
At the 12th Academy Awards in 1940, it seemed our luck was finally changing, and we’d finally won an Oscar! Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to be nominated AND win an Academy Award in Gone with the Wind for Best Supporting Actress. However, despite McDaniel shattering the glass, the wins, and nominations were far and in between. The next nomination for a Black performer did not come until 1949 and the next win came in 1963 when Sidney Poitier won for Best Actor in a Leading Role in the movie Lilies of the Field. To put it into perspective, during the first 34 years of the Academy, they only saw “excellence” in our work twice. We deserved much more than what has been given to us.
In 1962, the Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch of the NAACP formed to specifically address the racism experienced by African Americans within the entertainment industry. Singer and actor, Sammy Davis Jr. loaned his home to the Hollywood branch, and provided financial support. Davis Jr. gave himself tirelessly to ensure that Black entertainers would receive their flowers and be recognized for their hard work.
Five years later, with the help of the branch President Don Lanclos and other entertainment professionals, the idea of an awards show was born. The award show would be dedicated to celebrating the achievements of Black artists and professionals who were largely overlooked by white mainstream Hollywood. And on February 4th, 1967, the inaugural NAACP Image Awards, with 200 guests in attendance, honored Sidney Poitier among other nominees for the first ever program.
The Image Awards had an assignment and never missed when it came to recognizing, honoring, and most importantly celebrating our own people.
So, I ask, why do we even look for white validation when it comes to the Academy Awards and other award shows? We can blame it on slavery but, this isn’t that kind of article. Just in 2016, with the help of Jada-Pinkett Smith, the #OscarsSoWhite began to trend nationwide and all over social media. As if the Oscars hasn’t been ‘so white’ since its inception in 1929. Has the Image Awards been perfect? Of course not, what award show has? Where the Oscars get it wrong, the Image Awards makes up for it. We should no longer be surprised or even care when one of our own does not win, this has been the Academy’s behavior since its creation. This is one of the reasons the Image Awards was brought about, to prevent looking to the white man for a stamp of approval. They never seek validation, so why seek theirs?
The Image Awards may not be as mainstream as the Academy Awards but it is well on its way. The 52nd Image Awards show saw a 40 percent increase in viewership compared to a 56 decrease for the Academy. To be clear, the Image Awards were the ONLY award show this past awards season that saw that type of increase, as viewers we also have to continue to watch in support of this upward trend. They put on a show, year after year and have spawned some of the best moments for the culture. That cannot be said about the other awards shows. Besides, when was the last time you saw the Image Awards trending for any negative reason? They always get it right! So next year for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards, I want us to all to watch and make the Image Awards #1 in every category!
I am Terence J. Poole. Born in Fayetteville, N.C. Raised in Spring Lake, N. C. I attended Fayetteville State University and received my Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration in 2014. Since graduating, I have worked many jobs trying to discover what was right for me, only to finally realize that I want to be a writer of all sorts. I started my writing career briefly contributing to an online gossip blog as a music writer. I have aspirations of being a television show writer but the main goal is to eventually create my own shows. I plan to use my platform to bring up my peers who may be having a hard time breaking into the industry and give them a voice. I look forward to what the future holds as I continue to walk this journey of being a writer.
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