Ahead of the Feb. 28 Oscars, black actors have spoken out against the Academy's selection of 20 white actors and actresses for 20 nomination spots. The New York Times took a look back at previous nominations for black actors, and they found some striking patterns.
Out of 10 nominations black women received for best actress, all 10 of the characters played were poor. In fact, nine were homeless or nearly homeless, from Dororthy Dandridge's 1954 nomination for Carmen Jones to to Quvenzhané Wallis' 2012 turn in Beasts of the Southern Wild. None of the characters had a college degree.
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