Photo credit: Getty / Rachel Luna

The Oscar was exactly what we expected. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite started trending AGAIN. The 92nd annual Academy Awards lacked the representation of African-American nominees. It has now been a recurring joke, even comedian Chris Rock joked about it with Steve Martin. Steve Martin said, “Think about how much the Oscars have changed in the past 92 years . . . back in 1929 there were no black acting nominees,” Chris Responded, “and now in 2020 we got one.” The tea was hot all night and we got sips of sarcasm through the whole show.

Viewers even took to twitter to vent, “Twelve minutes in and there have been more presenters of color than acting nominees of color. The #Oscars always trying to appear far more woke than they really are, and it’s painfully obvious. Just nominate diverse people, already! You can do it! #OscarsSoWhite.”

Despite the controversy there was still small glimpses of excellence. Janelle Monae shinned bright like a diamond, with a Ralph Lauren 170,000 crystal dress. The only thing that out shinned her dress was her performance! She shouted out all the women directors, “We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films. And I’m so proud to stand here as a black queer artist telling stories. Happy Black History Month.”

One of the only POC Oscar wins was “Hair Love” for best animated short. The story is about an African-American father who learns to do his daughters hair for the first time. The creators Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Toliver believe representation matters, “Especially in cartoons, because that’s when we first see our movies and it’s how we shape our lives and think about how we see the world.” This win was a heartfelt one.