Following two consecutive years of controversy over all-white acting nominations that roiled the motion picture academy and the film industry as a whole, the 2017 Oscar nominations set new records for the recognition of African American actors.
There were six African American actors and actresses included among the nominees, the most in a single year in Oscar history. And for the first time ever, there was at least one black actor or actress in all four acting categories.
With her supporting actress nod for "Fences," Viola Davis became the first African American actress to earn three Oscar nominations, while her co-star, Denzel Washington, picked up his seventh nomination.
Meanwhile, Joi McMillon became the first black woman to earn a nod in the editing category for her work on "Moonlight."
