This Year's Oscars Was A Big Win For Diversity
Start writing a post
Entertainment

This Year's Oscars Was A Big Win For Diversity

The inclusion of different groups of people who may not fit the "norm" was unlike ever before.

182
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/movies/oscars-moments-best-worst.html
https://libreshot.com/oscar-statuette/

In 2016, I remember the uproar caused by the Academy Awards for their (severe) lack of representation in their nominees' list. To further explain, not a single Black actor was nominated for an Oscar. This was the second year in a row this occurred, which caused a justifiable boycott of the Academy Awards by the Black Community in Hollywood and those who support them. After this blow-up, the 2017 Oscars had a much better list of nominees, let alone Black winners such as Mahershala Ali and Viola Davis. Last year was also a relatively good year for diversity at the Oscars as well.

However, this year, the Oscars had a brilliant list of nominees with so many important movies to choose from. I could not be prouder of the people and movies that have won this year. Representation is so incredibly important. Movies affect people's lives in a way that you never really notice until something like the topic of representation comes up. I didn't know how much I needed an iconic Indian-American female power role until I discovered The Mindy Project a year after it ended. The sense of profound relatability that I felt watching a show that didn't have a skinny, white woman* as the lead was so cathartic. With movies like "Black Panther", "Roma" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", there are so many diverse people being shown that can give people a sense that their stories are also important and being told.

*Because of today's social climate, I would like to make it clear that there is nothing wrong about being skinny or white. Powerful women are powerful women. The reason for my comment was to display how that is the usual lead actress that we see in most movies and TV shows, which isn't representative of the entire population.

Here are some of the iconic wins:

1. Rami Malek wins Best Actor in a Lead Role.

Rami Malek is the first Egyptian-American to win an Oscar in this category.

2. Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor.

Mahershala Ali has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor two years in a row and has won both times. His first win was for "Moonlight", this year's win was for his role in "Green Book", which also won Best Picture.

3. Regina King won Best Supporting Actress.

Regina King won Best Supporting Actress for "If Beale Street Could Talk". This was her first nomination and first win for an Academy Award.

4. Ruth Carter won for Best Costume Design for "Black Panther".

Ruth Carter has been nominated for Best Costume Design 3 times, and finally won for her beautiful vision for "Black Panther".

5. "Period. End of Sentence." won for Best Documentary (Short).

"Period. End of Sentence." is a documentary about a rural village outside of Delhi in India and the fight to have easy access to feminine hygiene products.

6. BlacKkKlansman won for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee all won for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for the incredible and very true story of the first Black cop in the Colorado Springs Police Department infiltrating the KKK.

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won for Best Animated Feature Film.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won for Best Animated Feature Film. This movie for people of all ages has a mixed (Black and Puerto Rican) young boy as the lead, which was revolutionary for children who were able to see someone that looked like them, be a freakin' superhero!

8. Alfonso Cuarón won for Best Directing and Best Cinematography.

Alfonso Cuarón won two very well-deserved Oscars for his beautiful piece about the life of a maid in Mexico going through both personal and political struggles.

This was an amazing night for all Americans. Let's hope that the Academy keeps up the beautiful and diverse work.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

27 Hidden Joys

Appreciation for some of life's most discredited pleasures.

27619
Best Things in Life

Life is full of many wonderful pleasures that many of us, like myself, often forget about. And it's important to recognize that even on bad days, good things still happen. Focusing on these positive aspects of our day-to-day lives can really change a person's perspective. So in thinking about the little things that make so many of us happy, I've here's a list of some of the best things that often go unrecognized and deserve more appreciation:

Keep Reading...Show less
beer on the beach

Summer is hot and humid, and it's almost like summer was made specifically to drink the refreshing, cold, crisp wonderful, delicious, nutritious nectar of the gods. Which is none other than beer; wonderful cold beer. With summer playing peek-a-boo around the corner while we finish up this semester, it's time to discuss the only important part of summer. And if you haven't already guessed, it's beer. There are few things I take more seriously than my beer, in order are: sports... and beer. Here are my favorite summer brews:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

7 Reasons SoCal Rocks!

75 degrees and sunny, plus, no humidity. I mean do I really need to say more?

1941
woman in black and white long sleeve shirt carrying girl in red jacket in Venice beach
Photo by Jeff Hopper on Unsplash

SoCal summers are the best summers by far, and honestly, no argument is needed. But, if you aren't sure why SoCal summers are the best, here are 7 reasons why!

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

25 Lyrics for Selfie Captions

Because let's be honest, we all use lyrics.

54047
woman takes a selfie for social media
Pixabay

Sometimes you can't think of the perfect caption for your Instagram post. I love using lyrics as my captions because there's so many great lines in songs that just seem to fit in the moment. Here are some lyrics that could work for your selfie or pictures of you with your friends!

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Bruce Springsteen's Top 7 Lyrics

Everything Bruce says in his classic rock songs.

20550
bruce springsteen album cover born in the usa

Anyone who was born and raised in New Jersey (or anywhere really) knows of Bruce Springsteen, whether or not they like him is a whole other situation. I hope that his hundreds of classic rock songs and famous high energy performances, even in his sixties he can put on better concerts than people half his age, are at least recognizable to people of all ages. Love him or hate him (I identify with the former) you have to admit that some of his songs and interviews have inspirational quotes and lyrics.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments