The Oscars are considered the best award show in America. However, it could not escape the controversy over the nominees this year. Many have considered the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences racist for not nominating any African American actors or actresses this year. The most notable snub was David Oyelowo, who was not nominated for his performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma. Speaking of the film, the Academy has also received backlash for giving the film describing King’s march from Selma, Alabama only two Oscar Nominations: best picture and best original song.

For all of those who believe the Academy is biased against African Americans, I am going to tell you something that will blow your mind: it is not. Just because there were no black actors or actresses nominated one year does not mean the entire Academy is racist. It more or less proves how tough it is to be nominated for an Oscar.
It’s not like the Academy has never given black people awards. In fact, the first African American to win an Oscar for best supporting actress was Hattie McDaniel for her performance in Gone with the Wind, in 1939. That’s right, the first African American won over seventy-five years ago, at a time when you may have been able to accurately accuse the Academy of being racist. Likewise, it’s not like the Academy has become racist in recent years. Last year, Lupita Nyong’o, a black woman, won best supporting actress for 12 Years a Slave, which also won best picture.

Denzel Washington, a black man, has won two Oscars in his career for playing strong men in mainstream roles. Likewise, Sidney Poitier has won an Oscar for Lilies of the Field, and is known for paving the way for black people in Hollywood for his grace, class, and, of course, incredible acting abilities. Poitier has had such an illustreous career that he is widely considered among the greatest actors of all time, black or white.

The reason Oyelowo was not nominated does not highlight a flaw in the system, it provides evidence that it is very tough to be nominated for an Oscar. This year alone, you could have made the case for up to eight actors, including Ralph Fiennes of The Grand Budapest Hotel, or Jake Gyllenhaal of Nightcrawler to be chosen as best actor. Maybe Bradley Cooper should not have been nominated for best actor for his performance in the highly controversial American Sniper, being that neither he nor the film was nominated for any other major film awards such as the Golden Globes or Screen Actors Guild awards. However, that does not essentially mean that Oyelowo would have been nominated with competition from Fiennes and Gyllenhaal.

Likewise, he certainly would not have won the award, with Eddie Redmayne of The Theory of Everything sweeping through every award show. In addition, Michael Keaton’s performance in Birdman earned him more praise than Oyelowo’s performance. It is hard to support the claim that racism played a part in the Oscar nominations this year.

The same can be said for Selma’s director Ana DuVerney, who was also snubbed. However, she would not have one the award, with Richard Linklater for Boyhood or Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (who won the Oscar) of Birdman taking the awards. In addition, several other directors were just as deserving as DuVerney, including Wes Anderson of The Grand Budapest Hotel (nominated for an Oscar), David Fincher of Gone Girl (who was also snubbed), film veteran Clint Eastwood for American Sniper (snubbed), and first time director Dan Gilroy (snubbed) of Nightcrawler to name a few. Also, for all of those who still feel that the Academy is intolerant, this year’s winner, Inarritu, is a Mexican, born and raised in Mexico City. If a man born in a Spanish speaking country wins multiple Oscars, then race certainly had nothing to do with this year’s nominations. 

The Academy as a whole is not racist. Next year, don’t be shocked to see a black actor, actress, or director get nominated or win for their performance. Black people have been nominated and won Oscars for over seventy years, this year was just a fluke and next year there will likely be some black people nominated. In the coming years, black actors, actresses, and directors will be nominated and win awards; you have my word.