Like Usher, I have a confession. I don’t usually watch the Academy Awards. I don’t think much of the garbage that usually emanates from Hollywood. And I almost gag every time someone tries to hold up entertainers and athletes as role models for African Americans. But I tuned in Sunday night for one reason and only for one reason n to see if Jamie Foxx would get a well-deserved Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles.
And, when he won, I yelled.
Rooting for Jamie Foxx to win was prompted by my feelings toward Ray Charles, the man. When he stopped performing before segregated audiences in the South, he began occupying a special place in my heart.
I’ve been a fan of Bill Russell, the former Boston Celtics center, and Muhammad Ali over the years, not because they were exceptional athletes n and they were n but because they refused to be relegated to anyone’s back seat.
When I was in high school, I remember reading Bill Russell’s autobiography, Go Up for Glory, and his recounting how he flew back to Boston when he learned that he was expected to stay in a colored hotel on the road. Ali risked his career, standing up for his religious beliefs. Russell and Ali were the exceptions.
And so was Ray Charles. And that’s why I pulled so hard for Jamie Foxx on Sunday night.
I was also pleased that Morgan Freeman won an Oscar for his supporting role as a retired boxer in Million Dollar Baby. I’d much rather see him win for that than for Driving Miss Daisy. Let Miss Daisy drive herself.
The fact that Morgan Freeman won for his role as an ex-boxer and Foxx won for his portrayal of Ray Charles is much sweeter than three years ago, when Denzel Washington won for Training Day and Halle Berry won for Monster’s Ball. That was the first time that two African Americans had won Oscars for acting; Sunday night was the second.
Confession No. 2: I didn’t see Monster’s or any other kind of ball. I make no apology for not wanting to see a black woman have an affair with a racist prison guard who executed her husband. And, of all of the great movies Denzel Washington has starred in, Hollywood decided to reward him for his role as a dirty cop. I decided a long time ago that I would not knowingly waste my time or money on a black person playing an ignorant, demeaning or subservient role.
I don’t expect everyone to share my view. If you want to spend money supporting movies that denigrate African Americans, don’t complain when that’s all Hollywood gives you.