Follow me, if you will, down an Oscars Eve rabbit hole. A few weeks ago I started reading the fantastic book The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine about the career spanning animosity between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. I’ve always been a big fan of both of these over the top actors both as artists and as Personalities. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane is one of my favorite movies of all time and I’ve dressed up for Halloween both as Bette’s Baby Jane and as as Faye Dunnaway’s Crawford from Mommy Dearest, another one of my all-time favorites. To give me more context as I was reading the book I decided to download some classic films that put these dames on the map and helped fuel their Oscar lust laden rivalry. Yesterday I watched The Women, a 1939 masterpiece directed by the legendary George Cukor. If you have not seen this movie, I absolutely recommend it. The first time I saw it was at the Paramount Theater in Oakland and I very much remember my shock and awe when about a ¼ of the way into the movie there is a fashion show at a fancy department store. Suddenly the film goes from Black and White to full Technicolor and diverges from the plot entirely and we are treated to an absolutely bonkers fashion show complete with live monkeys, sky-high, see-through vinyl hats fit for the Kentucky derby if the Kentucky derby were held on Venus and bear gloves that would be the envy of any furry. So yesterday I’m reliving this masterpiece of the absurd and during one part of this beautifully bizarre scene there is a cocktail party setup and I noticed a stunning woman serving the models champagne from behind a drinks cart. She’s dressed in an emerald green maid’s uniform and, to me, she totally stole the scene. Since she was serving drinks you can probably guess that she was a black woman. The only other black woman in the movie is Butterfly McQueen credited as “Cosmetic Counter Maid” who gets bullied by Joan Crawford’s character into Cyrano De Bergeracing a home cooked meal for her and her married lover. The woman in green though, I do not recognize. I evoked the power of IMDB and found out that she was an actress named Theresa Harris.

Theresa Harris was a talented singer, dancer and aspiring actress who held the screen with countless stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. I wondered why I’d never heard of her but then I remembered America. I dug a littler deeper; she’s been written about extensively and is well known for the staggering number of maids she played over her long career in Hollywood. I counted; how many maids could one person really play? Well, according to IMDB she was credited as “maid” in some form in 46 films. In some cases she was given the dignity of a first name but more often she was simply referred to as “maid”, “ladies room maid” or as “so and so’s maid”. She did have a number of credits where she is credited simply with a first name such as Ester, Ruby, Opal and Bessie Mae which was hopeful but then it turned out some of those characters were also maids. Non-maid roles included “Black Woman”, “Black Blues Singer” and the perennial favorite, “Sacrificed Slave” [sad trombone]. Ms. Harris simply could not catch a break. She was quoted as saying:

I never had the chance to rise about the role of maid in Hollywood movies. My color was against me anyway you looked at it. The fact that I was not “hot” stamped me either as uppity or relegated me to the eternal role of stooge or servant. I can sing but so can hundreds of other girls. Hollywood had no parts for me.

Fucking Hollywood. I have always loved the movies. As a young girl, I watched countless classics at home with my mom and started taking myself to the theater as soon as I was allowed. We got HBO early on in our house and I spent hours watching movies from every decade. My favorites were always centered on glamorous, fast-talking, witty dames or painfully beautiful ingénues. Apart from Jimmy Stewart, I never really cared about the men. Elizabeth Taylor, Joan and Bette, Katherine Hepburn, Rosalind Russell, Lauren Bacall; all women who spit fire and took no guff. Talent, charisma and beauty aren’t the only thing that connects these women and I don’t need to tell you the obvious. Imagine an alternative America where white supremacy didn’t exist. Theresa Harris might have been on that list of my film idols. Imagine a black woman with regular Hollywood women problems like being a queen and being in love with your right-hand man, or having to choose between a rich man you don’t love and a poor man who gets you intellectually or helping to solve a murder while being the baddest bitch there is. Can you even imagine? I can but it remains a feisty fantasy.

As I sit here on the Eve of the Oscars I am at least heartened by the four women of color who are nominated for acting roles this year. We have made some progress over the decades, haven’t we? We have but we haven’t. All four roles have a certain Hallmark of the type of roles for women of color society and the academy applauds. Each of these wonderful performances are centered on race, poverty or addiction. Has this always been the case? This was a question I asked myself and whose answer sent me down yet another rabbit hole, this one sponsored by Wikipedia. Ok, so obsessive me noted every single Oscar nomination for black women from the first (Hattie McDaniel as Mammie in GWTW) through tomorrow’s four nominees. What types of roles are women of color being offered and which types of roles are we rewarding? I know the Oscars are not really relevant in the grand scheme of things and that many, many wonderful films featuring fabulous roles for women of color have always existed and continue to exist but in terms of “International Acknowledgement, Acceptance and Prestige”, the Academy Awards are still a major factor when casting, writing, directing and producing opportunities are handed out. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford knew this and spent their lives slobbering over that little golden man in order to advance their careers. And it worked. So, in chronological order (in two categories) I present the roles the Academy has decided are the pinnacle of BLACK ACTING for women!

*Entries in Bold are winners; common tropes and problematic stereotypes are italicized. Underlined are notable exceptions.

Best Actress

• 1954: Dorothy Dandridge. Carmen Jones (singer, seductress). We’re off to a hopeful start, right?! Dorothy Dandridge is a freaking legend and everything you’d want in a star. This was a fantastic role in a movie that did not center whiteness. I might as well stop now right, cuz I’m sure it’s all uphill from here, right? RIGHT!
• 1972: Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues (singer, drug addict)/Cecily Tyson in Sounder (Sharecropper, impoverished). Ok, ok, here we have after 20 years not only another black woman nominated for best actress, we have two!!! This is great. America is not racist and has no problem with black women in roles that do not center whiteness! In all seriousness, these are both enduring performances and you should watch both of these movies if you haven’t. Sure Billie Holliday was troubled drug addict who died at age 44 and Sounder features a father sent to a prison camp on trumped up charges but still!
• 1974: Diane Carrol as Claudine in Claudine (maid, welfare mom, impoverished, race film). Claudine was one of a number of “race films”, movies that sought to explore America’s race issues. The good news; this film is not white centered and shed light on what it’s like to be poor and black in America. The bad news; “The film tells the story of Claudine Price a single black Harlem mother, living on welfare with six children, who finds love with a garbage collector” (Wikipedia). So there’s that. I have not seen this movie but Dianne Carrol is lovely. You can watch this movie in its entirety on Youtube. Bonus, great soundtrack by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
• 1985: Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in The Color Purple (abused, impoverished). I really wish this movie had had a black director, don’t you? That said, it’s a moving and important film and a groundbreaking performance by Whoopi.
• 1993: Angela Basset as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It? (Singer, Abused). After waiting the customary 10 years (see 1974, 1985) we get a fantastic, toothsome performance of a dynamic black lady and I ain’t got nothing bad to say about this nomination except for the fact that she had to get beat the fuck up to get it. Holly Hunter (whom I adore) won this year for The Piano and did not need to get beat the fuck up to be acknowledged.
• 2001: Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove (widow of executed convict, abusive, abused, impoverished, object of sexual fetish, race film, white centered). Well, this one is problematic isn’t it? Yay Halle Berry, you are THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO WIN BEST ACTRESS!!!! This is a huge accomplishment and it only took 90 YEARS of black excellence in film (the first awards were held in 1929)!! There are a lot of italics on this role. Do you remember when this movie came out and all everybody was talking about was that graphic, violent sex scene where Halle showed her tits? Yeah me too.
• 2009: Gabourey Sidibe in Precious – (impoverished, abused). Down and out and sad as fuck, just like we like to see our black women – NOT! Guys, seriously I don’t really want to see this anymore. I never was able to bring myself to see Precious because there is only so much misery porn I can take but Miss Sidibe is a great actress and seems like a delightful person.
• 2011: Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark in The Help (maid, race film, white centered). Thank god we are back to playing maids or my entire point in this essay would be lost! I will not bore you with my deep and abiding hatred for this movie and the book it was based on. I saw this in the theater in Berkeley and experienced the dreaded “white guilt gasp” throughout. You know, when the liberal while ladies are in public they feel the need to audibly show their horror whenever blatant instances of racism are shown to let you (or each other maybe?) know they do not condone it. Bitch, why are you acting shocked and surprised that black folks have been treated horribly in America? Now, Miss Viola Davis is a fucking queen and has done more to raise the bar and expectations for black actresses than anyone else I can think of. As an actress, what type of mental gymnastics do you think she has to go through when she decides whether to take a role like this or pass? It’s a starring role in a super high-profile film with and enormous budget and built-in fan base because of the books popularity. Do you think Meryl Street has ever had to carefully consider whether or not to take a likely Oscar worthy role because it might be problematic for her to portray a maid who gets helped by some well-meaning white people? Could you even for a minute consider Meryl having to be careful of being typecast?
• 2012: Quvenzhané Wallis as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild (impoverished). This was an odd movie, wasn’t it? Poor little Hushpuppy. Quvenzhané was wonderful in this film and we sure felt sorry for her difficult black life didn’t we? What did she do after this movie, Black Annie right? You get it little girl.

Best Supporting Actress

• 1939: Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind as Mammy (mammy). Well here’s where it all began. The character’s title says it all and has become a trope in and of itself. Hattie was the first black nominee ever and the first black winner! And the first in a long line of Best Supporting Actress nominees whose role is literally in support the white stars of the film.
• 1949 Ethyl Waters as Dicey in Pinky (illiterate laundress, race film). I have never seen this movie but the plot is Dicey’s granddaughter Pinky moves north and passes for white. In case you don’t know, Ethyl Waters was a renowned jazz and blues singer and you should listen to her singing Story Weather here and get your life.
• 1959: Juanita Moore as Annie Johnson in Imitation of Life (maid, race film). Well, this is the same plot as the last freaking movie! Annie Johnson’s daughter is light-skinned and moves in with a white family so she can pass. I remember watching this on TV a lot when I was a kid. I was fascinated by the idea of passing and thought about what that might mean for me but then I realized it was impossible and also sounded like a real drag that could only lead to heartache and stripperdom. But lord did I wish I had good hair like the girl in the movie. Fun Fact! Juanita Moore also had a small role in Pinky!
• 1967: Beah Richards as Mary Prentice in Guess Who’s Coming to dinner (race film). Even though this movie deals exclusively with capital “R” Race, the role of Mrs. Prentice is one of the least problematic of all the nominees ever. Beah Richards plays Sidney Poitier’s mother so you know she is FLAWLESS.
• 1983: Alfrie Woodard as Geechee in Cross Creek (wife of alcoholic ex-con, abused helper of white main character). Whoo, lord, just that character’s name gives me hives. I remember seeing this in the theaters and it was largely forgettable. In the south, Alfrie Woodard has a hard time and moves in with a nice white lady and helps her with some stuff and in return the nice white lady learns a lesson or some shit. Alfrie Woodard is doing some fantastic work in Luke Cage BTW.
• 1985: Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey as Shug Avery (singer) and Sofia (abused) in The Color Purple. Another two-fer year! Couple this with Whoopi’s nom and you have got yourself a big year for black acting! I think all the ladies in this movie get beat the fuck up at some point, correct me if I’m wrong.
• 1990 – Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost. (Con artist, helper of white main characters). I think the less I say about this WIN the better.
• 1996: Maryanne Jean Baptiste as Hortense in Secrets and Lies. Optometrist, highly educated, BRITISH. What a great movie. I love Mike Leigh and this was the first movie of his I saw. We can allow British black ladies to do their thing since their relationship with race is different from ours. An educated British black lady isn’t a threat in the same way.
• 2002: Queen Latifa as Matron Mama Morton in Chicago. Prison Matron. This is another anomaly as the part of Mama was originally written for the stage as a while lady. All the same, props to Queen Latifa for killing it in this musical. She’s a rare example of an American black woman in a film who’s life and decisions do not revolve around helping white people or dealing with racism. It’s simple, if you’re good to Mama, Mama’s good to you! The win for this category went to Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma in the same movie.
• 2004: Sophie Okinado as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. Hotelier’s wife BRITISH. Another fabulous British actress. This was another difficult movie to watch but it was wonderful. Again, non-American black people’s problems are very different!
• 2006: Jennifer Hudson as Effie in Dreamgirls. (Singer) We have another winner!! There is not much to dissect in this nomination and win. Jennifer Hudson proved she not only had vocal chops but could also act her ass off! This was a huge win and it makes me happy still thinking about it. Have you seen this though?
• 2007: Ruby Dee as Mama Lucas in American Gangster (mother of drug kingpin). LEGEND. Ruby Dee is everything. Civil rights pioneer, poet, screenwriter, activist and star of stage and screen, she epitomizes black excellence. Noted white-splainer Tilda Swinton won instead for Michael Clayton.
• 2008: Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller in Doubt (mother of an abused child) and Taraji P Henson as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons (nursing home attendant, helper to white main character). It’s no surprise that both of these women are currently STARS. They are so amazing at what they do. Right now on television and in the movies they are challenging stereotypes and basically just being amazing black ladies doing amazing black lady things. I did not see Doubt but I’m sure Ms. Davis was amazing and I don’t really remember the Brad Pitt as raisin movie. Penelope Cruz won this year for Vicky Christina Barcelona so it was a GOOD year for women of color!
• 2009: Mo’Nique as Mary Lee Johnston in Precious – (welfare mom, impoverished, abuser). Congratulations, Mo’Nique. I heard you were fabulous. Again, I did not see Precious but I do keep meaning to read the book Push by Sapphire. I’m glad that this movie had a black director and writer. But the misery porn of it all is still a hard pill to swallow.  Lee Daniels, get your shit together and make something fun like Empire for the big screen. Thank you in advance.
• 2011: Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson in The Help (maid). Have you guys seen Hidden Figures yet??! If not, you simply must! Octavia is the best science boss ever and I adored her performance.
• 2013: Lupita Nyong’o as Patsy in 12 Years a Slave. (slave, abused). Look, I’m not really into fashion but I think Lupita Nyong’o should be photographed in every stitch ever made. I follow her on Instagram; she is so heartbreakingly beautiful and stylish and FUN that I get mad she got famous off this movie. It was an ok movie but again, how many times must we watch our queens get whipped, raped and debased? Why does that get our attention and not this outfit?!?! I’m glad she’s famous enough now that she won’t have to play a slave again.

And that brings us up to date! Tonight we have Ruth Nega nominated for Best Actress for Loving. In the Best supporting actress category we have Viola Davis with her third nomination, for Fences, Octavia Spencer for Hidden Figures (and my favorite to win) and Naomi Harris for Moonlight. Here the black experience is shown without being filtered through the lens of the whiteness, which is refreshing. Still, Naomi Harris’ character is a drug addict, a trope we are all too familiar with. The world of Fences is also black centered but themes of racism and oppression are prevalent. Same too with Hidden Figures. We FINALLY have a movie featuring exceptional black women professionals but we also have to watch them be belittled and ignored for their accomplishments. Ruth Nega’s Mildred Loving is just trying to raise her family in peace but can’t escape the yoke of the Jim Crow South. Contrast these stories with those of their white counterparts. With the exception perhaps of Nicole Kidman in Lion, none of the other actresses nominated this year are in films that directly address race. The other actresses get to play a FLOTUS, a Whimsical Dancing Actresses and a Goofy Socialite Who Wants to be an Opera Singer. I do not think we are asking too much when our thespian sisters have been relegated the wings or only featured if when they are struggling or in pain. Where are our bad bitches that chew scenery, sling withering insults and make an entrance draped fucking sequins and gold? Oh, her name is Cookie Lyon and she’s on TV. I want to roles for black actresses that allow them to be more, do more and say more. I also want this for all women actors of color. How about a biopic on a writer or a scientist instead of a singer for once? Or maybe we could have a movie where there is a black woman who is a tough but respected corporate executive with a taste for much younger men? Or a movie where a gutsy librarian takes on the dewey decimal system while wearing a serious of usual but festive hats? Please credit me if you use any of those ideas, Hollywood.

Author’s note: As I am not the President of the United States I reserve the right to have some facts or dates be inaccurate. I did all this researching on Google so if I made a mistake and got something wrong I WILL SEE YOU IN COURT!