The 'Moonlight' Win Is For Every Black Person Overlooked For White Mediocrity

function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){‘undefined’!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if(‘object’==typeof commercial_video){var a=”,o=’m.fwsitesection=’+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video[‘package’]){var c=’&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D’+commercial_video[‘package’];a+=c}e.setAttribute(‘vdb_params’,a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById(‘vidible_1’),onPlayerReadyVidible);

We did it y’all.

The best film of the year, which happened to be directed by a black man, written by two black men (one of them queer!), and starring several great black actors, actually won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

This win is representative of so much. “Moonlight” winning the Best Picture Oscar is, quite simply, a glorious, cosmic win for every black person who has had to work twice as hard to get half as much as their white counterparts. 

What happened to the cast and crew of “La La Land” on Sunday night sucked. It really did. 

But, we humans, filled with infinite complexities, have the ability to do two things as once. We can feel bad for the team of “La La Land” while also feeling absolutely giddy about the moment producer Jordan Horowitz held up the envelope that read “Moonlight” on it with emphatic finality.

“This is not a joke,” he said.

This is not a joke. 

The Best Picture category at the Academy Awards this year was especially competitive. “Arrival,” “Hell or High Water,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Fences,” “Lion,” “Manchester by the Sea,” and “Hidden Figures” made up a strong pool of nominees. And yet, early in awards season, a certain inevitability seemed to emerge: “La La Land,” the dreamy musical about white people saving jazz, was the projected winner

Unless you’ve seen both “La La Land” and “Moonlight,” it’s hard to explain just how little this made sense. “La La Land” is a really good movie. It’s cute, fun and creative with two very charming leads. But “Moonlight” was perhaps not only the best, but the most important film of the year. 

There is an indescribable energy, a new energy, that pulses through every frame of the film. We’ve never seen a meditation on manhood and masculinity quite like this before, nor a portrait that so deftly melds three performances into one. There’s space for subjectivity when we talk about cinema, of course. But in 20 years, “Moonlight” will most definitely be remembered as a masterpiece. It’s hard to know what “La La Land” (outside of the context of the Oscar night debacle) will be remembered for, other than a pretty confection of nostalgia. 

We know that the mediocrity of our white peers is rewarded far differently than our own.

 

Barry Jenkins made the best film of the year. But it was “La La Land,” with its record 14 nominations, that was the overwhelming favorite to win the biggest award of the night. Though infuriating, that outcome wouldn’t have been surprising for many black folk. 

Why? Perhaps an image from earlier in the night can answer this question. Think about the glossy look in Denzel Washington’s eyes as Casey Affleck gave him a feeble shout out during his acceptance speech for Best Actor.

It was the same look that was on Beyoncé’s face when Adele said “you are the artist of my life,” as she accepted the award for a good album that was not nearly as great as “Lemonade.” Affleck acknowledged Washington with far less grace, but the fact that he even mentioned him emphasized a simple reality: Washington deserved that award. No, not because he is black. Not because he needs white validation. Not because Affleck didn’t give in a good performance in “Manchester.” But Affleck’s win still felt like an inevitability.  

This is a reality that many black people know all too well. We know that mediocrity is not an option. We know that we have to “fall down seven times, get up eight” in order to grab whatever scraps of success and opportunity that are offered to us. We know that the mediocrity of our white peers is rewarded far differently than our own. We know that when we call this out, we have to tread carefully ― we can’t “play the victim,” or ask for too much. We always preface our complaints with things like, “But of course, ‘La La Land’ is a great movie, too. Adele is a wonderful singer, too.” If we don’t, we’re just being bitter, delusional, and bias. 

 

The smile on Barry Jenkins’s face as he took the Best Picture award was the smile of a man who knew he deserved this honor.

 

We live in a world of absurdities that we need to accept as truth in order to survive. Denzel Washington’s loss made no sense, and yet made complete sense.  “La La Land” beating “Moonlight” would have made no sense, and yet, in a world where an Oscar has never been handed to a film centered on black folks that’s not about racism or slavery, the absurdity of a “La La Land” win would have been in keeping with the absurdity of the Hollywood machine as a whole. 

There was a kind of poetic justice in watching Horowitz, the man who had just thanked his “beautiful blue-eyed wife” during his acceptance speech, graciously and emphatically concede defeat to the producers of “Moonlight.” There was an exhilarating beauty in the sight of the “Moonlight” cast and crew climb up on the stage, dazed, giddy. It made no sense, but it made sense. 

The smile on Barry Jenkins’s face as he took the Best Picture award was the smile of a man who knew he deserved this honor. It was a moment for every black person who has ever had to take a step back and accept that their excellence was not excellent enough. It was everything.  

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Here's How You Can Watch 'Moonlight' Right Now

function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){‘undefined’!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if(‘object’==typeof commercial_video){var a=”,o=’m.fwsitesection=’+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video[‘package’]){var c=’&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D’+commercial_video[‘package’];a+=c}e.setAttribute(‘vdb_params’,a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById(‘vidible_1’),onPlayerReadyVidible);

The Academy Awards have now come and gone, but it’s not too late to see 2016’s Best Picture, “Moonlight.”

Barry Jenkins’ drama, an unflinching and deeply affecting story about a black, gay boy growing up in a Miami housing project, was one of Sunday night’s biggest winners. The film was nominated for eight Oscars and picked up three: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali’s performance and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney’s script. (The film also picked up some major prizes at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.)

If you haven’t seen it yet, what’s stopping you? There are several ways to do so.

Have a smart TV, or don’t mind watching movies on your laptop or iPad? The film is already available to purchase or rent on most digital video services, including iTunes, Google Play, YouTube and Amazon Video. (Rentals start at $4.99, purchases at $12.99).

You’ll also be able to purchase “Moonlight” on Blu-ray and DVD starting Tuesday.

Finally, “Moonlight” is still playing in over 500 theaters across the country. Check Fandango or local listings to see if it’s available to watch on a big screen near you. 

type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related… + articlesList=58b3909be4b060480e0915af,5893899ae4b0c1284f24d024,589ca0c9e4b0c1284f2b1206

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

George Takei: 'We Want To See The Full Diversity Of America Now On Screen'

After a history-making night on which a record-breaking number of black stars took home Oscars, actor George Takei is speaking out about the need for Hollywood to truly reflect diversity in America.

“We now live in the 21st century where the picture on the cinema screen should be in full color ― the rich spectrum of hues from yellow to brown to red,” Takei told The Huffington Post. “Black and white pictures are old history. We want to see the full diversity of America now on screen.”

The openly gay Japanese-American actor has been an outspoken figure when it comes to Hollywood’s diversity problem for some time, particularly on the subject of white-washing Asian characters.

At Sunday night’s Oscars, Dev Patel’s nomination made him only the third actor of Indian descent to ever receive an Oscar nomination out of over 1,500 nominations from throughout the years. Additionally, only sixteen Asian actors have received nominations throughout the history of the Oscars ― or roughly one percent of nominations in 89 years.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Ad Uses Maya Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman' To Show The Endless Strength Of Women

A new video from women’s empowerment organization This Girl Can is highlighting just how phenomenal women are. 

The 90-second clip features women of all shapes, sizes and colors doing different activities, including running, boxing, playing roller derby, weightlifting, swimming, dancing and even giving birth. Throughout the video, a voiceover reads an adapted version of Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman.”

“Many people wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute, or built to suit a fashion model size,” the voiceover says while the video shows a woman applying lipstick and then cuts to a rugby player putting in her mouthguard. “When I start to tell them, they think I’m telling lies. But I say, ‘I’m a woman, phenomenally.’”

This Girl Can is a British organization that celebrates “active women who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets.” The powerful clip was published to This Girl Can’s Facebook page on Friday, and already has over 4.5 million views. “Jiggling, sweating, lifting, taking a breather ― however you do it, we think it’s phenomenal,” the video’s description reads.  

As the voiceover says toward the end of the video: “Phenomenal woman, it ought to make you proud.” Hell yes, it does. 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

The Men Of 'Moonlight' Are Now Calvin Klein Underwear Models

While we’re all busy trying to recover from “Moonlight”’s dramatic, history-making Oscars win, its male stars are quietly dominating the world of high fashion. 

Mahershala Ali, Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes star in Calvin Klein’s newest men’s underwear campaign, aptly titled “Revelation.”

The foursome’s stellar performances shaped what the label called the film of the year.” The three adults pose in their Calvins for the campaign, while 12-year-old Hibbert looks adorable in a black T-shirt.

The ads mark designer Raf Simons’ second campaign since he became chief creative officer of Calvin Klein in August 2016.

The label also dressed Hibbert, Sanders, Rhodes and their co-star Naomie Harris for the Oscars ceremony.

Each of these handsome men looks phenomenal, but in an interview, Hibbert declared himself to be the most stylish. “He is; it’s true,” Ali laughed. 

All. The. Feels. 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

I Dream Of Healthy Black Futures

Healthcare is a human right.

No one should be denied the opportunity to see a doctor because of how much money is in their pocket or where they live.

Our loved ones shouldn’t die from easily curable diseases simply because they can’t afford medicine.

Black lives matter.

Why are these controversial statements? Why are we living under an administration that thinks it is politically expedient to rip away our access to basic healthcare?

Yes, denying people access to healthcare is the perfect way to accomplish your goals if your goals include severely restricting the flow of health resources to marginalized communities and pouring gasoline on the flames of white supremacy; making people of color too sick to earn a living, too sick to learn in school and too sick to raise families. But most of all, keep us too sick to challenge illegitimate authority. That’s exactly what we’re up against.

Unfortunately, this tactic isn’t new. During slavery, slave owners frequently offered only the bare minimum of healthcare and food to their enslaved people, keeping them barely healthy enough to work. And when enslaved Black women like Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey were forcibly coerced into medical experiments, Black bodies were sacrificed in the name of white women’s health and because white men, feeding their own “scientific” curiosity, also refused to acknowledge that these women felt pain just like anyone else. The bodily violence these Black women experienced was never because anyone actually cared for the health and well being of Black women.

It should never be a crime to seek healthcare.

In times of terror, like these, one thing we never lost from our ancestors is the necessity to dream. We know how to hold onto the belief that the arc of justice will eventually find its way home – we have to. In all honesty, as a reproductive justice activist, it’s the only way I know how to move forward, despite incredible odds and near constant political, physical, and personal attacks. Even under a friendly presidential administration, access to abortion care and the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare services have been decimated. Several women, particularly women of color, have been thrown in jail and charged with felonies because they needed abortions and couldn’t afford them, and those who were already in jail have been denied access. Our lack of healthcare access and protections is leading to incarceration.

It should never be a crime to seek healthcare.

Like the Movement for Black Lives, the movement for reproductive justice was founded by women of color, and women who believe that everyone, particularly communities of color, deserve high quality, culturally competent and compassionate healthcare, that the freedom to decide when to become a parent and how to grow their families is a basic right and that everyone has the right and ought to have the resources to raise healthy children free from violence, economic coercion and environmental harm.

When it comes to healthcare, abortion, transgender, indigenous and disability rights are the canaries in the coal mine. If you want to see the future of healthcare under this illegitimate administration, all you have to do is see what has happened since 2010 at the state level and who chose to look the other way as our rights were trampled. Access to abortion is barely a right in half of our states: Black people with mental illnesses are 16 times more likely to be murdered by, as Marvin Gaye said, “trigger happy police,” the government refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of indigenous people’s land and trans women of color are routinely murdered while our nation ignores their plight. I refuse to accept this. We have the ability to create something else, and are at a turning point where we must or we will perish.

We have to fantasize about the potential for a future of Black health and Black freedom.

I choose to imagine a taxpayer-funded health center, founded on the needs of Black women, transgender and nonbinary people and based on the brilliance I’ve already seen across this nation.

As a taxpayer, I want the taxes I pay to reflect my and our nation’s values, and I believe we can find better ways to spend the Department of Defense’s nearly $600 billion budget currently allocated to raze Black and Brown communities around the world. Keeping people healthy and safe feels like the perfect way to do it. With the appropriation of this new budget, we’ll be able to raise the Medicaid reimbursement rate, which is important to ensure more people have access to care. However, my dream health center will take all patients, no matter their ability to pay, immigration status or health condition.

My imagined center will be named after Dr. Joycelyn Elders and will welcome all of you.

We have to fantasize about the potential for a future of Black health and Black freedom.

Dr. Joycelyn Elders was a fierce pediatrician and the first Black Surgeon General of the United States. During her tenure, Dr. Elders was outspoken on holistic approaches to healthcare, advocated for access to comprehensive sexual health education, called out racist health textbooks, advocated for abortion access and contraception in schools and famously supported teaching masturbation; a bold and unapologetic Black namesake for a brazen and dynamic dream health center.

The Elders Center will be located conveniently near public transportation. Inspired by the practical support program at ACCESS Women’s Health Justice in California, the Elders Center will also offer funding and complimentary rides on the Diane Nash rides program for those who need assistance arriving at their appointments When patients enter the Elders Center, they’ll be welcomed into an open space decorated by brightly colored furniture and painted walls, much like the Queens, New York, Planned Parenthood. Modeled after the Whole Woman’s Health abortion clinics, patient rooms will be named after Black feminist leaders like Harriet Tubman, Coretta Scott King and Ida B. Wells and inscribed with inspirational quotes by women such as Audre Lorde, Patti LaBelle and Sojourner Truth.

The Melissa Harris Perry wing of the center will offer abortion, birthing and delivery, miscarriage management, adoption, egg freezing, surrogacy and infertility services all on the same floor. There will be no need to stigmatize or arbitrarily separate people. Midwives and doulas will be on hand for all pregnant people who want them. Elders Center staff will thoughtfully advise patients with uterine fibroids and offer holistic approaches to treatment, while maintaining fertility as patients desire. Like the Birthing Center of Buffalo / Buffalo WomenServices, the providers will be there for patients no matter what decision they make about their pregnancies. Lactation specialists on the Ella Baker floor will ensure everyone who would like to chestfeed their child has the education and tools to do so, including trans and nonbinary people.

Because it’s important that we treat whole people and not just their body parts, the Carlett A. Brown wing will offer reproductive healthcare services for people of all genders – everything from contraception and Pap smears to hormones and fertility preservation – similar to the Allentown Women’s Center in Pennsylvania. And because of the deep racial disparities in cancer diagnosis and treatment availability, particularly breast cancer, the Pauli Murray cancer ward will offer state-of-the-art screening and treatment. Inspired by SisterLove in Atlanta, the Alvin Ailey program will run a community bus that offers HIV testing, medication delivery and weekly support peer-led groups.

The Elders Center will also have a resource center for all pregnancy options, including a diaper bank, condoms, an abortion fund and counselors, like the All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center in Bloomington, Indiana. The Claudette Colvin program will engage young parents in policy efforts, and offer baby showers, childcare, postpartum support groups and pregnancy photoshoots to break stigma like the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco. The Josephine Baker program will run support groups and activities for adoptive families, and the Marsha P. Johnson program will run them for transgender folks and their loved ones.

The Elders Center will run a number of counseling and resource programs, as well, to address historic issues and issues currently impacting Black communities. Counselors will be on hand in the Fannie Lou Hamer room to sit with patients who have been forcibly sterilized, and in the Rosa Parks room for survivors of sexual assault who need time to process their experience. Compassion and listening are key to healing. The Maya Angelou program will offer support and defense for sex workers when harmed by clients and law enforcement, and will ensure they are able to continue to work safely in healthy environments. SisterReach’s faith-based civic engagement programing in Memphis will serve as the structure for the Anna Julia Cooper advocacy program designed to increase voter enrollment, local political education and support for community members to run for office. We need people to be engaged now more than ever.

If we are going to withstand the destructive policies of this incoming administration, we’ll have to be even more creative. Our imaginations and grit will see us through a dark era, just like our ancestors showed they could do in the past and our friends are doing across the nation right now.

As we’re living in this nightmare of an administration, this is the future I’ll be working towards. This is my dream – my plan for resistance.

 

This post is part of the Black Futures Month blog series brought to you by The Huffington Post and the Black Lives Matter Network. Each day in February, look for a new post exploring cultural and political issues affecting the Black community and examining the impact it will have going forward. For more Black History Month content, check out Black Voices’ ‘We, Too, Are America’ coverage.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

I'm So Ready For More Queer Black Girl Celebrity Couples

When Keke Palmer visited The Wendy Williams Show last week, the main highlight was the actress dragging the host for victim-blaming. But another standout of the interview was Palmer admitting that when it comes to dating, she likes “whoever loves [her]” with no respect to gender. It was a great moment of validation for Black girls on the queer spectrum. But what irked me was that just moments later, when Williams gave Palmer relationship advice, she still only referenced Palmer dating “boys and men.”

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

These Beautiful Photos From Around The World Are Elevating Global Trans Identity

function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){‘undefined’!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if(‘object’==typeof commercial_video){var a=”,o=’m.fwsitesection=’+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video[‘package’]){var c=’&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D’+commercial_video[‘package’];a+=c}e.setAttribute(‘vdb_params’,a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById(‘vidible_1’),onPlayerReadyVidible);

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded an Obama-era directive requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

It was a devastating, if unsurprising, blow to a community that has had to adjust to an even more uncertain future under Trump. So HuffPost Queer Voices wanted to provide visibility to the spectrum of transgender identity on a global level in solidarity.

In this 25-photo series from Reuters, we get a look at over two dozen different people from many different cultures, regions and walks of life who identify along the spectrum of trans identity.

Check the photos out for yourself below and keep your eyes peeled for more info about the upcoming SCOTUS case surrounding transgender rights.

For more ways to combat bigotry, don’t miss the Queer Voices newsletter.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

New York Police Link Hate Crime Surge To Presidential Campaign

function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){‘undefined’!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if(‘object’==typeof commercial_video){var a=”,o=’m.fwsitesection=’+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video[‘package’]){var c=’&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D’+commercial_video[‘package’];a+=c}e.setAttribute(‘vdb_params’,a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById(‘vidible_1’),onPlayerReadyVidible);

Hate crimes in New York City have skyrocketed, especially against Jews, in the last three months, and police officials are blaming it on the vitriolic rhetoric of the presidential campaign.

“Based on the timing and the extraordinary increase we’ve been seeing, not only in New York but around the nation, you have to conclude that the presidential campaign was the major factor,” NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis told Bloomberg.

Since the election that put Donald Trump in the White House, the number of hate-crime complaints has jumped 42 percent from the same period last year, up to 143 incidents, according to police department statistics. Of those, 72 percent targeted Jews, compared with 39 percent the previous year, Bloomberg reported.

Incidents included “terroristic threats,” harassment and criminal mischief. Earlier this month, swastikas were drawn in fresh snow on several cars parked in the largely Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Hate crimes have spiked as well across the nation and New York state. The Southern Poverty Law Center has tallied more than 700 hate incidents nationally since the election. There have been at least 69 bomb threats called into 55 Jewish community centers across the country from Jan. 1 to Feb. 24, and vandals caused extensive damage at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis this week. When the president finally spoke out Tuesday to condemn anti-Semitic attacks, some Jewish leaders blasted it as too little and too late.

Hate complaints in New York state typically average about 16 a month and were on the decline last year. Since the election, the numbers have doubled, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In response to the hate-crime increase largely against Jews, Muslims and the LGBT community in New York, Cuomo has announced that the state will spend $25 million on extra security, including training, personnel and surveillance technology, at schools and day care centers at risk, especially those associated with religions. The state is also launching a Hate Crimes Text Line for easy reporting.

“Any acts of bias or discrimination will be met with the full force of the law,” Cuomo vowed.

Davis didn’t single out Trump’s campaign for blame, noting that “heated” rhetoric existed on “both sides,” but it was Trump who targeted Muslims, branded many Mexican immigrants “rapists” and characterized African-American communities as hellholes in his speeches. The Ku Klux Klan expressed its support for his campaign.

Shortly after Trump won the election, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill noticed a sharp increase in hate complaints. 

“I have no scientific evidence as to why, but you’ve been paying attention to what’s been going on in the country over the last year or so, and the rhetoric has increased, and I think that might have something to do with it,” he told a local radio station.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, was not quite so circumspect. “The horrible, hateful rhetoric that was used in this election by candidate Trump and by a lot of his supporters directly connects to an increase since the election in anti-Semitic incidents, anti-Muslim incidents and anti-LGBT incidents,” he said at a news conference last week.

type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related Coverage + articlesList=58af0c27e4b0ea6ee3d03689,58ab3f7be4b0a855d1d8b074,58ab6a6ee4b03250fc905e20

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

19 Reasons Your Obsession With Dev Patel Is Justified

function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){‘undefined’!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if(‘object’==typeof commercial_video){var a=”,o=’m.fwsitesection=’+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video[‘package’]){var c=’&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D’+commercial_video[‘package’];a+=c}e.setAttribute(‘vdb_params’,a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById(‘vidible_1’),onPlayerReadyVidible);

We need to talk about Dev Patel

The 26-year-old British Indian actor could walk away with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Lion.” In the film, Dev plays Saroo Brierley, a man desperately searching for his family in India after being separated from them at the age of 5. 

It’s a great, fiery performance that deserves recognition in and of itself, but there’s another reason we’re rooting for him. Just read this tweet:

That is a huge deal. On-screen representation matters, and it’s especially important for Asian actors. According to a 2016 diversity study, Asian actors nabbed only 3.9 percent of speaking roles in film ― a stark contrast from the 73.7 percent white actors receive.

That’s not the only reason we’re pulling for Dev to win an Oscar, though. Below, a few reasons why we’re obsessed with the Oscar-nominated actor: 

— Before receiving all this Oscar buzz for “Lion,” Dev was in 2008’s massive hit “Slumdog Millionaire” and was equally amazing in that. Remember when he danced like this and low-key stole your heart? 

— He was also great on HBO’s “The Newsroom,” playing a blogger and the office’s resident computer geek.

— He was super cute back then, of course.

— But right around the time of “The Newsroom,” something began to change. Our nerdy-cute pretend boyfriend started to grow into his looks in a major way. It’s like one day the hair gods smiled down at Dev and said, “Hey, ‘Slumdog’ guy, it’s time to grow out that hair and drive everyone crazy with lust for your locks.” 

And grow it out he did. The swooshy-hair era began and nothing has been the same since. Dev has pretty much blossomed into full babe mode now. 

Woah, right?

— Those curls.

Seriously, THOSE CURLS.

— And dat smile.

— He also has a beautiful, classical profile. And the beard is good, too. (Let’s give credit where credit is due, guys.)

— He’s so good at posing for photo shoots, his side hustle should be modeling. (But please don’t stop acting, Dev.) 

— Then there’s his accent. Dev pulls off a pretty convincing Aussie accent in “Lion,” but his real-life British lilt will melt your heart.

Sigh. Please never stop touching your hair.

— All awards season long, Dev has been a big booster of Sunny Pawar, the adorable 8-year-old who plays the younger version of his character in “Lion.”

Like, he literally boosts him up: 

Sunny very impressively carries the first half of “Lion” all by himself and Dev gives him credit for that every chance he gets.

“He’s so incredible in this film, and I share this nomination with him in a big way,” Dev told the Los Angeles Times recently. 

Don’t pretend you weren’t deeply affected by the cuteness of their introduction of “Lion” at the Golden Globes. 

Same, girl, same. 

— Who’s he taking to the Oscars? Apparently, his mom, Anita. “That’s her moment,” he told the LA Times. “I’m her guest.”

D’aww. Here they are at a 2009 British awards party.

Gotta love a man who respects his mama.

— We also want him to win because we’re positive he’d be so humble and bashful during his acceptance speech. Just look at how he reacted to his name being called for his SAG award nomination. 

— And in spite of all the Oscar buzz surrounding him, Dev realizes we’re living in politically tumultuous times and there’s weightier things happening in the world right now. Here’s what he told the LA Times on the SAG Awards red carpet:

“At times like this, you’re constantly questioning what you’re doing at awards like this or promoting a movie. It feels so pointless. I look to the people around me and they remind me the message of this film, of the art we’re trying to inject into the world right now. It’s about unification,” he added. “When I think about that, it makes me have a little bit more strength.”

— Oh, and another thing: He’s an animal lover. (Dev + doggo = happy us. And loud squee-ing noises, to be honest.)  

— On another shallow note, boy fills out a suit quite well. 

— And in case you were wondering, he has a mean street-style game, too.

— We’re in good company in our Dev devotion. Ellen DeGeneres gave him the title of “Sexiest Man Alive” when he visited the show back in January. So well deserved, even if Dev was like, “Aw, shucks, me?”

And his “Lion” co-star Nicole Kidman recognizes his swag as well. 

Watch out, Keith Urban.

— Heck, even his ex-girlfriend and “Slumdog Millionaire” co-star Freida Pinto gave him props on Instagram for his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nom.

So clearly, he’s best supporting ex-boyfriend, too.

Now would be a good time to mention what a ridiculously good-looking couple they were a few years back.

So pretty.

— Lastly, Dev’s work on “Lion” didn’t end when he was done filming. He’s been busy promoting #LionHeart, a social impact campaign which will provide financial support to the over 11 million children who live on the streets of India. Here’s our boy asking people to contribute: 

In conclusion, Dev Patel is a super talented actor and a stand-up guy with amazing hair. 

Cheers to you, Dev. We’re pulling for you and your epic curls Sunday night!

type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related Stories + articlesList=58a1c90fe4b0ab2d2b17440f,58876cd2e4b096b4a23490ef,58b0724de4b0a8a9b781d4f2,58a5c128e4b07602ad522f67

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices