ON MARCH 24, at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California, Halle Berry made history by becoming the first African-American woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress. She claimed the award for "all black women everywhere ever" and many gladly accepted right along with her over the television broadcast. Though winning this award is truly one step toward making up for years of ignoring black talent, it is but one step. It far from pays off the debt owed by the ever-so-innocent society of good ol' boys who like to refer to themselves as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Berry undoubtedly deserved this award, but the Academy used her, as well as other prominent black figures, as tokens to cover previous racial bias exercised through the Oscars.
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All Americans should be far from satisfied with this poor showing of events. The significance of the honors awarded to Berry and Best Actor Denzel Washington - only the second black man to win Best Actor - was tainted in light of the presentation of the entire show. What on Earth was the Academy thinking? Perhaps the theme should have been "2002: The Year to Honor African-Americans," seeing as it realistically should have occurred some time ago. Frankly, the Academy opted for a year to try to not look completely and totally biased in their selections - it has been a historic rarity for black actors to even be considered for awards and leading roles, much less nominated. Adjusting the show to highlight African-Americans does not make up for all the previous insulting periods of time where no one slightly resembling a minority was recognized at all, for anything.
Don't get me wrong, I am wonderfully pleased that Halle Berry finally got the recognition she deserves. More so, I am proud that a black woman finally got some recognition from the Academy. Berry said that "this [award] is for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance because this door has been opened." All people should forever be appreciative that she was not satisfied with knocking or waiting at the door, but that she finally kicked the entire thing down. All minorities should be fervently recognized in their acting endeavors, not just because they are minorities, but also because they must be exceptional to even be cast in credible roles.
However, what is not supportable is the excessive amount of tokenism in this year's show. Handing out an exaggerated dose of awards will not rectify the entire history of the Oscars. Black actors and actresses should be rewarded for their work on a regular basis, not once a century in some special event. The Academy is ignorantly trying to make themselves feel better for the years of neglect of black actors whose performances were equal to or sometimes exceeding that of their white counterparts. Granted, acting is about taste, but it is certainly curious when such a prestigious organization as the Academy has taste that honors everyone except minorities. Though they finally decided to honor deserving African-Americans this year, they definitely went about it in the wrong way.
"Let's show the black people we aren't trying to be racist - not only will we give an award to Halle Berry, but we'll hand one out to Denzel Washington, as well. Oh! Then we can have Whoopi Goldberg host the show! Yeah! Even better, how about we honor Sidney Poitier while we are at it? That'll make us look really good." People are so caught up in this "historic" event that they look past the twisted fact that it is indeed historic. It has taken 74 years for a black woman to be recognized for her acting talent by being awarded the Oscar for Best Actress.
No one should be awestruck by talented people receiving due recognition for their talent, regardless of color. However, we still live in a society where black talent is only deemed good enough in a ceremony as rare as this one. There have been multitudes of black actors since the heyday of Sidney Poitier that were Oscar-worthy, and there is no need even to talk about the many black women who have been denied recognition for their acting talents, as Berry reflected on in her acceptance speech. From Angela Bassett and Dorothy Dandridge to Denzel Washington and Bill Cosby, there have been standout acting performances by many black Americans. All one had to do was listen to Berry's tearful admonitions in order to see the black talent that has been refused Oscar recognition throughout history.
This year's Oscars definitely made strides publicly as far as recognition of talent - as opposed to just skin color - is concerned. However, we still have a way to go before acting is an equal playing field for all people. Last Sunday, the winner, through the recognition of artistically gifted blacks, was anyone who cares about artistic integrity. As for tomorrow, I will have to wait to see who the real winner is. Hopefully, I won't have to wait another seven years before I see the people I know are deserving be rewarded for their efforts. Two awards are not enough to forgive years of biased history, but it is definitely a step on the right path. Whether or not this path will be traveled or abandoned only will be revealed through time. But the next time Oscar season comes around, let us just hope that minorities receiving awards won't be yet another faded memory in Academy Award history.
(Amey Adkins is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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