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Black entertainment’s old guard, young guns are finally enjoying a moment, together

Spike Lee walked so Barry Jenkins could run

Mahershala Ali and Regina King pose in the press room at the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo credit should read John Rasimus / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Mahershala Ali and Regina King pose in the press room at the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo credit should read John Rasimus / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

During his Oscars acceptance speech on Sunday, Spike Lee thanked his grandmother, the daughter of a slave, for the effort and sacrifices that got him to the moment. The mention may have felt corny or extra, but for black people, it’s often instinctual to think about your wins as a victory for everyone else who came before you.

In that same audience sat black entertainment industry contemporaries like Barry Jenkins, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, Hannah Beachler, Issa Rae, and Boots Riley. All of whom may consider Lee in a similar speech some day. During Sunday night’s broadcast of the 91st Academy Awards, the gratitude for Spike Lee was actually plentiful.

Of course, it’s not just Lee. This award season, black artists — of all generations — seem to have thwarted the tendency of mainstream gatekeepers of the zeitgeist casting aside black art.

Actress Regina King finally received an Oscar on top of a Golden Globe. Ruth E. Carter, after a pair of previous Oscar nominations, became the first black person to win an award for costume design. Motown was honored at the Grammys this year. King, actress Thandie Newton, and comedian Katt Williams all took home Emmys this award season.

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But the entertainment industry’s history is replete with black artists who never “received their flowers.” Despite being nominated twice, Will Smith has yet to take home an Oscar. The legendary Dorothy Dandridge failed to bring home a statuette for playing the titular role in Carmen Jones. And let’s not forget that the first rap song to win an Academy Award for best song was authored by Eminem. Bob Marley, Diana Ross, Busta Rhymes, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Biggie, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac are all Grammyless — save for Ross’ lifetime achievement award.

It’s really easy to lean into the conclusion that black artists are often looked over, shut out,  misunderstood when they don’t play the game (see Mo’Nique), refuse to conform to white American storytelling standards (see Spike Lee’s career), or challenge the larger cultural understanding of black America (see Kasi Lemmons). There’s a staggering amount of evidence which suggests that black art has been considered second rate for a long while.

And yet, of late, the wins keep piling up. Cardi B took home a Grammy for best rap album (a feat no other female rapper has done before). Mahershala Ali now has two Oscars to his name. The animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (which focuses on a black-Latino main character) was widely celebrated and awarded this season. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a tent-pole of pop culture and received an Emmy this year. And since Donald Glover’s Atlanta debuted, it has won awards in various categories. Glover, doing business under his alter ego Childish Gambino, took home the Grammy Award for Best Song, with “This Is America” — whose video was so studded with cultural references of relevance to black Americans, and of the moment commentary on the nation’s political situation, that you practically need the Wikipedia to understand it all.

The coolest part of it all however — and what makes this moment so special for black artists and their fans — is that the undervalued and overworked elders who paved the road for the younger generation aren’t just witnessing their labor bearing fruit, they’re getting to have a taste as well.