Black History at the Oscars: The Halle Denzel Sidney Trifecta

I must admit, 2010 was a banner year for film. 

I highlighted a few of the standouts in my 2011 Oscar Watch Series: Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours.  And as predicted, all three went on to be nominated in multiple categories.  While millions of people are expected to tune in this Sunday to watch Hollywood's most famous self-celebrating gabfest, a chorus of grumblings will continue to reverberate on the Internet about how there are no Black films or actors nominated for an Oscar this year. 

In fact, this is the first time in over ten years that there isn't one single Black Oscar nominee.  Sadly, this isn't the first time that this has happened and certainly won't be the last.  But while folks are harping on this year's white wash at the Oscars, I can't help but to remember the year Black folks dominated the podium.

The 74th Annual Academy Awards were dubbed the "Blackademy Awards."  The 2002 ceremony was hosted by Oscar winning comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg.

Whoopi Goldberg hosting the 2002 Oscars

Sidney Poitier, the only Black man to ever win an Oscar for Best Actor for his work in 1963's Lilies of the Field, was awarded an honorary Oscar "for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence." And then, an hour or so later, Poitier was succeeded by Denzel Washington when he took home the Best Actor trophy for his menacing portrayal of a crooked cop in Training Day, a gap of 38 years.

Sidney Poitier eyeing his Oscar in 1964

But sandwiched in between these two historic moments was another groundbreaking triumph: Halle Berry's shocking win as Best Actress.  That night, she became the first Black woman to win the biggest acting accolade in the world for her controversial work in Monster's Ball.  As Leticia Musgrove, Berry played a down-on-her-luck mother who takes refuge in the arms of a racists white man (Billy Bob Thorton) in the wake of her husband's execution and son's untimely death.

Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove in Monster's Ball

Although her nomination and eventual win was overshadowed by criticism that her character in Ball was wanton and stereotypical, you'd have to be a heartless soul not to have been moved by Berry's sincere shock and disbelief the second she realized she won. 

In that moment, Berry, the audience inside the Kodak Theatre and everyone at home watching knew that a glass ceiling had finally been broken; that she was standing on the shoulders of the countless men and women of color who had worked tirelessly before her to make that moment possible.  One of them being Poitier, who beamed like a proud father as Berry wept through her acceptance speech. 

Certainly, it sucks that this year's Oscar list is colorless, but it's proof that there's still much work left to be done.  Halle Berry may have broken the glass ceiling, but the question still remains: who's going to pick up the pieces?

Halle Berry's Emotional Oscar® Acceptance Speech