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15 Memorable Moments From Black Stars At The Academy Awards

Not nearly enough milestones but unforgettable nonetheless.
Brennan Williams
By 

Pop Culture Editor, HuffPost

From the wins of Hattie McDaniel to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington, here are 15 of the most unforgettable black Oscar moments through the years.
From the wins of Hattie McDaniel to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington, here are 15 of the most unforgettable black Oscar moments through the years.
AP

You might not know it from this year's nominations-- ahem, #OscarSoWhite -- but in the past the Academy Awards has served as a platform for black milestones, albeit not enough.

Here are 15 of the most unforgettable black moments from previous years.

1
1939: When Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award.
2
1964: When Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win the Best Actor Oscar.
3
1988: When Eddie Murphy addressed Hollywood's failure to honor black people.
4
1997: When Cuba Gooding Jr. gave an awesome speech when he won Best Supporting Actor for “Jerry Maguire.”
5
2002: When Denzel Washington presented Sidney Poitier with the Honorary Oscar.
6
2002: When Halle Berry accepted the award for Best Actress.
7
2002: When Denzel Washington accepted the award for Best Actor.
8
2005: When Chris Rock gave his opening monologue at the 77th annual Academy Awards.
9
2006: When Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar and performed "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp."
10
2007: When Jennifer Hudson won Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Dreamgirls.”
11
2013: When, at age 9, Quvenzhané Wallis became the youngest Best Actress nominee ever.
12
2014: When ”12 Years A Slave” won Best Picture.
13
2014: When Pharrell Williams performed "Happy."
14
2014: When Lupita Nyong'o won Best Supporting Actress for her role in "12 Years A Slave."
15
2015: When Common and John Legend won Best Original Song for "Glory."

Before You Go

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