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View this email online Fam: In case you hadn’t noticed, the past few weeks have been marked by some pretty major sociopolitical events, both at home and abroad.  So you would be forgiven for having totally forgotten that it’s Oscars season. And what is Oscars season if not the chance to have another conversation about race in the Academy – another round of wondering why there aren’t more people of color nominated for awards?  Given this annual tradition of discourse and disappointment, it might be tempting to avoid the Oscars altogether. NPR’s culture team has been questioning the relevance of the award ceremony for years! But the Academy Awards keep shaping what movies are produced and seen by larger audiences, and often who gets cast in them. It’s hard to totally discount their impact, even if their judgment might seem easier to question. So scare up some popcorn and let’s get into it! IN THE NEWS 20th Century Studios This year, that Oscars-struggling-with-race conversation popped up when only four people of color were nominated for acting awards: Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Ariana DeBose for West Side Story, and Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis for King Richard. That’s down from 2021, which had a record-breaking nine acting nominees of color (out of twenty possible nominees.) Some cultural commentators are saying that last year’s pool of nominees was an anomaly. April Reign, the creator of #OscarsSoWhite, correctly predicted that a relatively low number of actors of color would be nominated in 2022. “Every year it seems there is a pendulum shift,” Reign told Vanity Fair in October of 2021. “So we have this banner year of nominees and winners, and then the next year there’s a dearth.” Why do these dearths keep coming back like clockwork? One answer is that the Academy itself isn’t particularly racially diverse. Despite recent efforts, the Academy reported in 2020 that its membership was still 81% white. The whiteness of the Academy, of course, skews the roles that are celebrated; critics have long pointed out that the Academy tends to nominate actors of color for playing roles that appeal to – you guessed it – other white people. In 2016, critic Brandon K. Thorp argued that the Academy has historically only nominated Black actors for two types of roles: famous figures or people going through Racial Trauma. Thorp writes that there’s less recognition of people playing more “ordinary” roles: “When such people do make such an appearance, the camera tends to linger on the parts of their lives most likely to interest white Americans struggling to reckon with their country’s racist past.” This dynamic seems particularly true for women of color. Many have referenced Octavia Spencer as a prime example; her Oscar win and subsequent Oscar nods have all been for playing women battling racism and sexism in the midst of the civil rights era. This year, this trend seems to have continued. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Denzel Washington plays the titular Macbeth. It’s one of the most famous theater roles ever, and nominating this colorblind-cast role is still a pretty standard choice for the Shakespeare-loving Academy. In West Side Story, Ariana Debose, who is Afro-Latina, plays Anita (another iconic role, one for which Rita Moreno won an Oscar in 1962). Now, Anita does seem to be more racially aware in this retelling of the musical. But the climax of Anita’s story is still based in trauma – a sexual assault scene that both DeBose and Moreno described as difficult to film. As for the other two nominees? Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis play the parents of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. And while both actors start the film as ordinary people, the reason their story is being told is, of course, because the Williams sisters eventually became two of the most famous tennis stars in the world. There are moments in the movie where the family gets to be normal, but all within the broader context of impending stardom. Looking at only the Oscar acting nominations, you might think there were no nuanced film roles for people of color in 2021. But look a little harder, and you’ll see actors of color playing ordinary, multidimensional characters. Passing, Test Pattern, and Zola all centered on Black women exploring their race and sexuality. Drive My Car, In the Heights, and Swan Song delivered meaningful reflections on family for communities of color. And while none of those movies was perfect, they all presented a significant departure from the types of movies that are traditionally favored. So what does this all tell us? For a Latina woman to stand a chance at winning an Oscar, must she play a role that’s seventy years old? For a Black man to do so, must he be in a biopic? And will we be asking these exact same questions again next year?  Newsletter continues after sponsor message ON THE POD Alaina Murphy/Blind Landing Figure skating has always been about flair and drama. But what happens on the ice is nothing compared to what goes on behind the scenes. This week, with the help of our friends at the Blind Landings podcast, we're telling the story of Mabel Fairbanks. Fairbanks was a Black and Seminole figure skater who spent her career training figure skaters of color — while navigating the complicated racial and social dynamics that characterized the sport. Listen Here READ / WATCH / LISTEN Leah Donnella, supervising editor: “I just finished The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas. It’s a gothic novel (my “comfort food” genre) that takes place in Mexico shortly after the War of Independence. The story mixes elements of the supernatural with religion and folklore. It also weaves in a bit of Mexican economic and political history – the author actually began her career as a historian. But make no mistake, this is mostly a horror story that will have you thinking twice about any creaking you hear in your walls.” Jess Kung, assistant producer: “I’ve been playing through The Legend of Tianding, a stylish action-platformer set in early 20th century Taiwan, when the island was under colonial Japanese rule. You star as a version of Liao Tianding, a real-life Robin Hood-like folk hero, as he steals from the rich, gives to the poor, and beats up a staggering amount of Japanese cops. The gameplay is satisfying, I love the old-school comic style, and unlike some of the sprawling, epic adventures on my to-play list, it shouldn’t take more than 15 hours total to beat. It’s really cool to see this era portrayed with detail and love, with a focus on resilience and resistance to colonial rule.” That's all folks! They say March is in like a lion and out like a lamb ⁠— so here's hoping whatever ails you seems as tame and fluffy as Lamb Chop before the month is through. Written by Nathan Pugh and edited by Leah Donnella Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). Subscribe to Code Switch+. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: codeswitch@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Code Switch emails. 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