The 7 Black Actresses Who Have Won Oscars
The Oscars' lack of diversity has reared its ugly head for the second straight year, despite a breadth of roles to choose from in 2015. With no minority actors nominated in any of the acting categories, critics are recycling last year's #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, and celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith have even called for a boycott.
According to the Economist, black actors and actresses have fared the best in terms of Oscar nominations and wins in ratio to the U.S. population. Still, the number of wins by minority actors is low compared to white actors; in the Oscars' 87-year history, only seven black actresses have won an Oscar.
Read more: Academy Awards Announces Plan to Diversify Membership by 2020, Organization Says
1. Hattie McDaniel
Role and film: Mammy, Gone With the Wind
Date: Feb. 29, 1940, 12th Academy Awards
Category: Best supporting actress
2. Whoopi Goldberg
Role and film: Oda Mae Brown, Ghost
Date: March 25, 1991, 63rd Academy Awards
Category: Best supporting actress
3. Halle Berry
Role: Leticia Musgrove, Monster's Ball
Date: March 24, 2002, 74th Academy Awards
Category: Best actress
4. Jennifer Hudson
Role: Effie White, Dreamgirls
Date: Feb. 25, 2007, 79th Academy Awards
Category: Best supporting actress
5. Mo'Nique
Role: Mary Lee Johnston, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Date: March 7, 2010, 82nd Academy Awards
Category: Best supporting actress
6. Octavia Spencer
Role: Minny Jackson, The Help
Date: Feb. 26, 2012, 84th Academy Awards
Category: Best supporting actress
7. Lupita Nyong'o
Role: Patsey, 12 Years a Slave
Date: March 2, 2014, 86th Academy Awards
Category: Best supporting actress
Correction: Feb. 16, 2016
