No Black Women Nominated For Best Actor Oscar, Despite Acclaimed Performances In “Till” & “Woman Is King”

Another year, another blow from the Academy, which has once again mostly excluded Black women from honors despite critically acclaimed performances. 

The world anxiously awaited the nomination list to be unveiled Tuesday. Black women were poised to earn several nods for Best Actor, specifically, Viola Davis for her role in “Woman Is King” and Danielle Deadwyler, who portrayed Mamie Till in the powerful historical drama directed by Chinonye Chukwu. Sadly, no Black women were recognized in the category. Though not surprising, this disappointed many, particularly Chukwu. 

The 37-year-old took to Instagram to express what she feels is a deliberate attack on women of color that has spanned years. 

“We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women,” Chukwu wrote in a post where she was pictured next to civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams at the “Till” Los Angeles premiere last year.

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A post shared by Chinonye Chukwu (@chinonyechukwu)

Chukwu’s displeasure was also felt by Emmett Till’s family, according to Deborah Watts, his cousin, and cofounder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. In an interview with TMZ, Watts said they were “disappointed” that Deadwyler wasn’t acknowledged in the prestigious category. 

Another injustice is that no women were nominated for the Best Director category. However, one victory that must be celebrated is Angela Bassett’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress, stemming from her role in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” While fans are in an uproar that she was not in the Best Actor category, congratulations are still in order for her stellar performance as Queen Ramonda.