Wanted: Oscar-Worthy Lead Roles for Black Women

Best Actress, usually an all-white affair, needs more splashes of color.

Tis the season again.

Every year-end when Oscar-caliber movies start rolling out with weekly regularity, we start hearing a familiar song. The chorus, though, isn’t nearly as catchy as “Jingle Bells.”

Nor is it particularly jolly. The lyrics bemoan the paucity of meaty film roles for women, especially those over a certain age (35ish). In interviews and during acceptance speeches at award ceremonies, actresses sing along to thunderous applause.

The lyrics may be spot on, but those singing loudest often leave out an important refrain. Somehow the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences always manages to come up with five Best Actress Oscar nominees — and somehow the contenders are almost always all white.

If white actresses are nonetheless scrambling for substantial film roles, where does that leave black actresses — or other actresses of color? From the beginning, Hollywood has had woman trouble and issues with race. Although things have improved somewhat for black and female talent over the decades, when it comes to Hollywood’s racial and gender divide, actresses of color still bear the brunt of discrimination.