Source: Splash Photos / Splash News
The NAACP Image Awards has become one of the few events that acknowledges Black talent when other respected award shows tend to overlook the brilliance.
However, many critics are pointing out that the awards show still tends to overlook underrepresented groups, even within Blackness, such as the Black LGBTQ+ community. This year, the FX show “Pose” completed its second season and it’s been met with critical acclaim and strong viewership. The Image Awards failed to nominate the show last year for its first season. This year, they nominated the show for two awards, however, the mostly transgender talent that carries the series have still been cut out from nominations.
Twitter is not having it. Especially when someone like Meghan McCain got nominated with her “The View” cast mates for Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special).
Although folks were happy for “Pose” star Billy Porter‘s nomination for Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, folks were still baffled that actresses like Angelica Ross, MJ Rodriguez or Indya Moore weren’t nominated. “NAACP really nominated Meghan McCain before nominating MJ, Indya, Dominique, or Angelica Ross or even Pose itself outside of Billy Porter for an Image Award,” one user tweeted. “That’s all that I needed to know.”
“Second-year in a row and once again the NAACP acts like Pose barely exists,” writer Kellee Terrell tweeted. “I love Billy, I am happy for his nod, but this erasure of BLACK TRANS WOMEN continues to show that the NAACP really doesn’t want to be relevant. Cause I see some noms that don’t make any sense to me.”
Other nominations could raise an eyebrow depending on your point of view. The Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category features two nominations from the NBC show “This Is Us” for Lyric Ross and Susan Kelechi Watson. While Ross is a newcomer, this is Watson’s third time getting nominated. Meanwhile, Angelica Ross from “Pose” received acclaim for her supporting role in the show, particularly in a powerful episode that shed light on violence against trans women. She received zero nominations.
It wasn’t just acting categories people had criticism for either. Even if the actresses of “Pose” couldn’t get nominated, many people pointed out that writer and director Janet Mock has been a trailblazer for the series by orchestrating some of its most impactful storylines. Yet, she didn’t receive one writer or director nomination. The show’s Black co-creator, Steve Canals, also didn’t get a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
“They didn’t nominate Janet Mock for directing or Steve Canals for the show for drama. This is blatant AF,” one Twitter user wrote.
You can check out more critiques for the NAACP Image Awards below.
