Juneteenth 2023: Black Artists Who Deserve Entertainment Reparations
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There’s been a lot of talk lately about what reparations for Black Americans would look like. While we still don’t have any concrete answers, in the entertainment industry we think it would involve righting some awards show wrongs. Before we look back at some of the most ridiculous decisions we’ve ever seen, let’s start with the ground rules. First: This is all in good fun. We aren’t actually advocating for anyone’s award to be taken away. Second: This is absolutely not about the winners. This is about the voting bodies who decide the winners, their bias and the politics surrounding the awards system. Third: Did I mention that this is all a bit of lighthearted fun? Now that we’ve got that out of the way, check out some of the Black artists who deserve entertainment awards reparations.
1982: Dreamgirls -The Tonys
Dreamgirls | 1982 Tony Awards
So you had Dreamgirls nominated for Best Musical, but you decided to go with Nine instead? This is a case where the Broadway League gave Jennifer Holliday the award for Lead Actress in a Musical and figured they were done. I ask you, which show has stood the test of time more?
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1986: The Color Purple - The Oscars
Celie leaves Mister | Thanksgiving Dinner table scene | The Color Purple | 1985 | 1080p HD 60fps |
Eleven! That’s how many Oscars The Color Purple was nominated for. Zero! That’s how many it won. The Best Picture that year was Out of Africa, an extremely long, slow paced romantic drama starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. When was the last time someone started randomly quoting lines from Out of Africa to you?
1990: Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation - The Grammys
Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation
Hey kids, do you remember the pop group Fine Young Cannibals and their endlessly played hit “She Drives Me Crazy?” Now, do you remember Janet’s classic Rhythm Nation? It not only featured the hit title track, but also “Miss You Much;” “Escapade;” and “Alright.” Guess which one was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys? Really!?
1993: Denzel Washington - Malcolm X - The Oscars
Denzel Washington Gives Malcolm X’s Powerful Speech | HBO Max
Al Pacino is obviously one of the greatest actors of all-time. If the Academy wanted to honor him, they could have chosen any of his numerous memorable roles to reward. But even he would have to admit that Denzel Washington as Malcolm X is one of the best performances in the history of moving pictures. Come on, Scent of a Woman over Malcolm X!?
1997: Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack - The Grammys
Whitney Houston - Exhale (Shoop Shoop) (Official HD Video)
A soundtrack has never matched a movie better than Waiting to Exhale. This group of amazing artists put together a classic album that goes through every emotion involved in moving through the world as a Black woman, and it’s unfathomable that it lost Album of the Year to Celine Dion’s Falling Into You. By the way, The Fugees’ The Score was also nominated that year.
2006: Lackawanna Blues - The Emmys
Lackawanna Blues Scene (Man I will Blow the back of your head off!)
Thank goodness S. Epatha Merkerson won for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. However, the film didn’t win because the Television Academy couldn’t possibly not give the trophy to yet another star-studded drama about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
2006: The Wire - The Emmys
Bunk Confronts Omar | The Wire | HBO Max
How in the name of Omar was The Wire never nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series!? In 2006 that honor went to Lost, which in hindsight seems extremely troubling.
2006: The Color Purple - The Tonys
The Color Purple | 2006 Tony Awards
Come on guys, Jersey Boys? How many times does this property have to be snubbed for some mediocre piece of fluff?
2007: “Listen” - Dreamgirls - The Oscars
Listen. | #Dreamgirls.
Here’s the thing: Three different songs from Dreamgirls were nominated for Best Original Song. This likely split the vote, paving the way for Melissa Etheride’s “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth to win. “Listen” was obviously the best choice, so this one still feels wrong.
2010: “Almost There/Down in New Orleans” - The Princess and the Frog - The Oscars
Anika Noni Rose - Almost There (From “The Princess and the Frog”)
Sometimes Hollywood just falls in love with a movie and trips all over itself throwing awards at it. This is what happened with Crazy Heart. It would’ve been really nice to see the spectacular music of Randy Newman and the flawless vocals of Anika Noni Rose recognized for bringing the game-changing Princess Tiana to life.
2017: Beyoncé - Lemonade - The Grammys
Adele Wins Album Of The Year | Acceptance Speech | 59th GRAMMYs
Even Adele—who won Album of the Year for 25—knew Queen Bey’s Lemonade was an unparalleled classic.
2019: Black Panther - The Oscars
Black Panther vs Killmonger - Final Fight Scene | Black Panther (2018) IMAX Movie Clip HD 4K
Green Book? That’s what the Academy chose as Best Picture over the groundbreaking, history making work of art Black Panther. It’s like they thought they were doing something by choosing it, but completely missed the mark.
2023: Beyoncé - Renaissance - The Grammys
Beyoncé - CUFF IT (WETTER REMIX) - EXPLICIT - Official Visualizer
How in the world did Beyoncé make another instant classic, then somehow lose Album of the Year to yet another British pop star?
2023: Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Oscars
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Queen Ramonda’s United Nations Speech IMAX
Our Queen gave us everything in this performance and yet she still did not get her well-deserved flowers from the Motion Picture Academy. You just know they’re going to eventually give her a career achievement Oscar for a less important role.
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