An Oscars ceremony to go down in history occurred on March 24th, 2002. Halle Berry became the first Black actress to be awarded an Oscar for a leading role, and Denzel Washington became the second Black actor to receive an Oscar for a leading role after Sidney Poitier in 1963 for Lillies of the Field. It was a joyful day for America. Finally, Black actors were recognized for their work, when it has been historically so hard for people of color to achieve recognition in show business. I am glad for Denzel Washington and Halle Berry, but saddened that in the year 2002, at the 74th Oscars ceremony, there have still been only three Black actors to receive one of the highest awards in Hollywood.

I am saddened that in the year 2002, the careers of thousands of other Black actresses are still limited because of their color. Black actresses are often confined to bit parts and degrading roles such as that of the “video ho.” It is almost impossible for women of color to land lead roles in mainstream films, let alone to win Oscars for them.

I wonder what it means that Halle Berry should be the first Black actress to receive an Oscar for a lead role. She is a light-skinned biracial Black woman, who has been exotified by the media for most of her career. She is light enough, and her features are ambiguous enough that she is acceptable to mainstream audiences, and thus able to break out of the confinement of music videos and stereotypically Black films. Not to undermine her talent as an actress by any means, but it is not enough that she was recognized at the 2002 Oscars.

There are many barriers remaining for women of color in show business. There are still very few dark-skinned women who achieve recognition in Hollywood. There is an ‘ideal’ image of Black women sold to us by the media: the fair-skinned Black woman. I wonder, did Halle Berry break the glass ceiling for Black actresses, or is she a token Black woman who slipped through?

The Providence Journal quotes part of Berry’s emotional acceptance speech, “This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll…It’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.” In other words, it’s for all the women who deserved this award long ago.

Denzel Washington is also quoted in The Providence Journal, “Two birds in one night…Forty years I’ve been chasing Sidney. They finally give it to me.” I think Washington said it; ‘finally’ was the word of the evening. Finally Black actors have received some long-deserved recognition. But what happens now? Why has it taken so long for our society to move forward on these issues? Will we now begin to pay equal attention to Blacks in the media? I don’t know. But I know that I am not appeased because two Black people were finally recognized for something Blacks should have been recognized for long ago.

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