![\"cheryl-boone-issacs\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/cheryl-boone-issacs.jpg\")
<\/a>While some have criticized Smith and Lee\u2019s comments, the president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, issued a lengthy statement on Monday\u00a0about how “heartbroken and frustrated” she was by the lack of inclusion among the nominees. \u201cThe Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond,” Boone Isaacs said. \u201cAs many of you know,\u201d she continued, \u201cwe have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly.\u201d<\/p>\nLooking at the Oscar nominations over the past 50 years, the last two-year period in which no African Americans were nominated in the acting categories was 1997 and 1998. Before that, the longest stretch was the period between 1975 and 1980. In total, since the beginning of the Academy Awards in 1927, African American actors have won 23 Oscars, with the largest number of awards coming in the Best Supporting Actress category, beginning with Hattie McDaniel’s historic win in 1939 for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind<\/em> (she was the first African American or black person of any nationality to win an Oscar).<\/p>\n In light of the growing controversy, I was interested to look at the facts and figures about African Americans nominated for Academy Awards.<\/p>\n Halle Berry poses with her Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for “Monster’s Ball” (Photo by SGranitz\/WireImage)<\/p><\/div>\n Best Actress<\/strong><\/p>\n Won (1)<\/strong><\/p>\n 2001\u00a0\u00a0 Halle Berry, Monster\u2019s Ball<\/em><\/p>\n Nominated (9)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1954\u00a0\u00a0 Dorothy Dandridge, Carmen Jones<\/em><\/p>\n 1972\u00a0\u00a0 Diana Ross, Lady Sings the Blues<\/em><\/p>\n 1972 \u00a0Cicely Tyson, Sounder<\/em><\/p>\n 1974\u00a0\u00a0 Diahann Carroll, Claudine<\/em><\/p>\n 1985\u00a0\u00a0 Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple<\/em><\/p>\n 1993\u00a0\u00a0 Angela Bassett, What\u2019s Love Got to Do With It<\/em><\/p>\n 2009\u00a0\u00a0 Gabourey Sidibe, Precious<\/em><\/p>\n 2011\u00a0\u00a0 Viola Davis, The Help<\/em><\/p>\n 2012\u00a0\u00a0 Quevenzhan\u00e9 Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild<\/em><\/p>\n Best Actor<\/strong><\/p>\n Won (4)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1963\u00a0\u00a0 Sidney Poitier, Lillies of the Field<\/em><\/p>\n 2001\u00a0\u00a0 Denzel Washington, Training Day<\/em><\/p>\n 2004\u00a0\u00a0 Jamie Foxx, Ray<\/em><\/p>\n 2006\u00a0\u00a0 Forest Whitaker, The Last King\u00a0of Scotland<\/em><\/p>\n Nominated (16)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1958\u00a0\u00a0 Sidney Poitier, The Defiant Ones<\/em><\/p>\n 1970 \u00a0 James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope<\/em><\/p>\n 1972\u00a0\u00a0 Paul Winfield, Sounder<\/em><\/p>\n 1986\u00a0\u00a0 Dexter Gordon, Round Midnight<\/em><\/p>\n 1989\u00a0\u00a0 Morgan Freeman, Driving Miss Daisy<\/em><\/p>\n 1992\u00a0\u00a0 Denzel Washington, Malcolm X<\/em><\/p>\n 1993\u00a0\u00a0 Laurence Fishburne, What\u2019s Love Got to Do With It<\/em><\/p>\n 1994\u00a0\u00a0 Morgan Freeman, The Shawshank Redemption<\/em><\/p>\n 1999\u00a0\u00a0 Denzel Washington, The Hurricane<\/em><\/p>\n 2001\u00a0\u00a0 Will Smith, Ali<\/em><\/p>\n 2004\u00a0\u00a0 Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda<\/em><\/p>\n 2005\u00a0\u00a0 Terence Howard, Hustle & Flow<\/em><\/p>\n 2006\u00a0\u00a0 Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happiness<\/em><\/p>\n 2009\u00a0\u00a0 Morgan Freeman, Invictus<\/em><\/p>\n 2012\u00a0\u00a0 Denzel Washington, Flight<\/em><\/p>\n 2013\u00a0\u00a0 Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave <\/em>(Ejiofor is British)<\/p>\n Best Supporting Actress<\/strong><\/p>\n Won (6)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1939\u00a0\u00a0 Hattie McDaniel, Gone With the Wind<\/em><\/p>\n 1990\u00a0\u00a0 Whoopi Goldberg, Ghost<\/em><\/p>\n 2006\u00a0\u00a0 Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls<\/em><\/p>\n 2009\u00a0\u00a0 Mo\u2019Nique, Precious<\/em><\/p>\n 2011\u00a0\u00a0 Octavia Spencer, The Help<\/em><\/p>\n 2013\u00a0\u00a0 Lupita Nyong\u2019o, 12 Years a Slave <\/em>(Nyong’o is Mexican-Kenyan)<\/p>\n [Note that on many such lists, Carol Channing is included as an African American nominee for Best Supporting Actress for her 1967 nomination for Thoroughly Modern Millie<\/em>. It seems crazy to include her in this discussion\u00a0even though her paternal grandmother was African American.]<\/p>\n Nominated (12)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1949\u00a0\u00a0 Ethel Waters, Pinky<\/em><\/p>\n 1959\u00a0\u00a0 Juanita Moore, Imitation of Life<\/em><\/p>\n 1967\u00a0\u00a0 Beah Richards, Guess Who\u2019s Coming to Dinner<\/em><\/p>\n 1983\u00a0\u00a0 Alfre Woodard, Cross Creek<\/em><\/p>\n 1985\u00a0\u00a0 Margaret Avery, The Color Purple<\/em><\/p>\n 1985 \u00a0Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple<\/em><\/p>\n 1996\u00a0\u00a0 Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets & Lies<\/em> (Baptiste is British)<\/p>\n 2002\u00a0\u00a0 Queen Latifah, Chicago<\/em><\/p>\n 2004\u00a0\u00a0 Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda<\/em> (Okonedo is British)<\/p>\n 2007\u00a0\u00a0 Ruby Dee, American Gangster<\/em><\/p>\n 2008\u00a0\u00a0 Viola Davis, Doubt<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n