Sunday’s Academy Awards will long be remembered for historic wins by Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. Berry won Best Actress for her role in “Monster’s Ball,” and Washington won Best Actor for “Training Day.” The wins were historic because, believe it or not, they were just the second and third lead actor Academy Awards for blacks.

It is remarkable that in the 74-year history of the Academy Awards, the ultimate honor for films and film stars, only one black actor won an Oscar for a lead acting role prior to Sunday. That was Sidney Poitier, who won Best Actor in 1963 for “Lilies in the Field.” Coincidentally, Poitier received a lifetime achievement award Sunday.

Our society has advanced beyond the days of segregation and rampant racism. It’s not perfect yet, but society as a whole is moving in the direction of equality for all, regardless of race.

And yet, Hollywood failed to recognize the achievements of black actors. Sure, a lot of it had to do with the lack of quality of roles for minorities in the movies, but therein lies another problem altogether.

Berry was the sixth black actress to be nominated for an Oscar in a lead role, and during her acceptance speech she broke down in tears while dedicating the award to all the black actresses who came before her.

It took 74 years for a black actress to win the Best Actress Oscar. In all those years, all those movies, all those black actresses, not a single one took home this award. That is a shame. And it’s about time that barrier was broken down, however late it may be.

Sunday’s Academy Awards hopefully signaled a breakthrough for black actors. Gone are the days when black actors were typecast as maids or servants or even gang members in the inner city. Now, lead roles feature black actors and actresses and no one gives it a second thought. This was evident this year, as Will Smith joined Berry and Washington as only the second time in Oscar history three black actors had been nominated for lead roles.

It was a night to be remembered. Let’s just hope what was a rarity before Sunday now becomes a regular occurrence.

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