
The Academy Awards went from being a ceremony that had very little ethnic minority representation, prompting the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, to something altogether different this year.
Black Muslim actor Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight. The film also nabbed Best Picture and Viola Davis celebrated winning Best Supporting Actress for Fences.
Oscars 2017 was clearly a great year for diversity, and substantially recognised non-white actors and directors for their work.
People took to twitter to rejoice:
This year a black Muslim got the award for his performance in a movie as a gay guy.Celebrate that @moonlightmov #Oscars #diversity— Suraj Sridar (@Suraj Sridar) 1488177871
Love #FencesMovie The first black actor to ever receive an #Oscars , #Emmy , and a #tony . #violadavis… https://t.co/1PcbPuWjVu— Gracie Opulanza #imaginetheunimaginable (@Gracie Opulanza #imaginetheunimaginable) 1488173909
However, a swarm of keyboard-happy trolls also crawled out of the woodwork.
#OscarsSoBlack began trending on Twitter:
Because Davis and Ali, who between them won a Bafta, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Movie Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award...to name a few - are "untalented".
Some are calling it "forced diversity".
And black actors won because, you know, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.
Not because of talent.
In fact, the hashtag stepped into racist territory really quickly:
I haven't seen a single film nominated for the #Oscars this year but there seems to be a disproprtionate number of black crap #OscarsSoBlack— stefi (@stefi) 1488155695
But, we're happy to report, people have been reclaiming #OscarsSoBlack:
Diversity is a good thing. It allows a different perspective. If you shutout a culture you'll never understand or accept it #OscarsSoBlack— nubianbrotha (@nubianbrotha) 1488152219
The Oscars went black and never came back! #OscarsSoBlack— Captain Destroyer (@Captain Destroyer) 1488183827
And it's quite simple, really:
And yes, I put #OscarsSoBlack... people are so mad hahahhahahhahahahahahahahha #WAHHHHNNN get over it, #WeMadeit ✊🏾— C (@C) 1488173651
More: Miss Universe had the perfect reaction to the Oscars mix-up
More: Ryan Gosling whispered in this woman's ear at the Oscars and we need to know what he said!