odinsblog: A look at the roles that have gotten Black performers an Oscar nod.(by Brandon K. Tho
odinsblog: A look at the roles that have gotten Black performers an Oscar nod. (by Brandon K. Thorp) In the history of the Oscars, 10 black women have been nominated for best-actress, and nine of them played characters who are homeless or might soon become so. All 10 performances for which black women have received best-actress nominations involve poor or lower-income characters, and half of those are penniless mothers. Black men have been up for best actor Oscars only 20 times. 13 of those characters were arrested. 15 were violent. I shared these numbers with Dr. Todd Boyd, the author and professor of critical studies at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He wasn’t impressed, but he also said the focus on the Oscars was misplaced. “The Oscars are a symptom,” he said, and not the illness itself. (please read the full NYTimes post »here) -- source link