(RoyalPatriot.com )- Last week, actress Danielle Deadwyler and Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis both accused the Academy Awards of racism after they, along with their films, were snubbed by the Oscars.
Deadwyler was considered a likely best actress nominee for her role as Mamie Till-Mobley in the movie “Till.” Meanwhile, Viola Davis, a 4-time Oscar nominee, was also considered a potential nominee for her performance in “The Woman King.”
The day after the Oscar nominations were announced, “Till” director Chinonye Chukwu, who was also “snubbed” by the Academy, complained on Instagram about working in an industry “aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards [sic] Black women.”
When asked in a podcast interview for her reaction to Chukwu’s Instagram post, Deadwyler said she agreed with her director. She described it as “misogynoir,” a term coined by black activist Moya Bailey to describe misogyny directed t black women, and said, “it comes in all kinds of ways, whether it’s direct or indirect.”
Deadwyler also claimed that “whiteness” exists in government and in society” both nationally and globally.
Actress Viola Davis, who won an Academy Award for her performance in “Fences,” joined the “Oscars Are Racist” pig-pile, blasting the Academy for snubbing her film “The Woman King,” especially its director Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Last Tuesday, Bythewood told the Hollywood Reporter that the Academy snubbing both “The Woman King” and Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till” sent a very loud message to black filmmakers. She said what the Oscars did wasn’t just a “snub” but an encapsulation of how Hollywood devalues the work of black women.
In an Instagram post last week, Viola Davis expressed solidarity with Bythewood “and all artists of color,” accusing the Academy of not being a good ally in “support for the rights of a marginalized group.” She said she would “stand in solidarity” with “all artists of color who continue to work, create, thrive despite our environment.”
