GUYS. I’d just like to say that the miracle isn’t that Ruth E. Carter won for Best Costume Design. It’s that I didn’t throw a brick through my TV when The Green Book won for Best Pic AND THEN the director specifically thanks Viggo “totally didn’t mean to drop the n-word AT A PRESS SCREENING” Mortensen because without him that movie that was literally about Dr. Don Shirley could not have been made. Girl, I guess.
Also. Generally, when I’m sitting still for any period of time, I fall asleep because apparently, I’m a shark? [Not sorry!] But I guess I caught up on all my sleepin’ because I watched some of red carpet AND the actual show. Which, is awesome since the whole point of me watching all of those Oscar nominated Best Pics is so that I can sound like I know when I’m talkin’ about when I start talking out of my ass who should win. My pick.
Anyway. I am not going to let this bring me down, because SO. MANY. THINGS. TO CELEBRATE. But also so much work to do, so you know what dat mean, kids. It’s a lightening round:
- Hannah Beachler – FIRST Black woman nominated (who also WON) Best Production Design
- Mahershala Ali – The only other Black person (aside from Denzel Washington) to win more than one Oscar
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – First to ever feature a Spidey of Color (Afro-Latino Miles Morales) won for Best Animated Film
- Side note: I can NOT say enough things about how awesome this movie is. At all. Did you see it? Go see it. Or go see it again. Really.
AND I’M REPEATING THIS ONE BECAUSE SHE DESERVES IT
- Ruth E. Carter – FIRST Black woman to win Best Costume Design
- Who immediately got up there and thanked Spike Lee, who gave her start by hiring her for Do the Right Thing. And Spike also won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He was not a FIRST he was an ABOUT DAMN TIME.
And normally, I would take this time to insert some commentary about how in the 90 years that the Oscars have been in existence there are still clearly a pile of firsts to be had because #OscarsSoWhite doesn’t just mean the people on the moving picture screen, ya dig? And there are so many other black people* who will see these wins and say they got next because CLEARLY IT IS POSSIBLE.
But I’m not gonna do that today. Today I’m just gonna be happy that every year, the Oscars gets a little less white and a little MORE representative of its movie going audience. And leave you with this very fancy photo of Spike Lee.
*AND people of color, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out how many people of color blazing trails for others to follow
**Please note: I will never say people of color when I mean BLACK. Deal.
Yeah I said it 
