Politics of Praise: Sinners and Black Art Beyond White Validation
By: Jordynn Phipps
Ryan Coogler, the director of the horror film "Sinners", became the first Black film director to have his independent film nominated for sixteen Oscars this past month. But before this record-breaking history took place, the internet went wild over the fact that Coogler and starring actor, Michael B. Jordan, had been “robbed” at the 2026 Golden Globes award ceremony when they didn’t win the award for best director or best actor. This sparked conversations online as thousands of film critics expressed concern that the film was being overlooked by the award industry, believing that any critique of the film was just an overlooking of Coogler and Jordan.
Although the Golden Globes and Oscars have two separate committees, it’s worth mentioning that there are many factors that go into these film nominations that, most of the time, have little to do with merit. Despite this, many emotionally invested audience members often end up hurt when their favorite film of the year is not recognized by these multi-million-dollar corporations. But I’d like to pose this question: Why have we come to believe that the number of awards a film receives is the utmost indication of its worth? What message can we take from a director who chooses to write for their viewers rather than wealthy and white critics?
Award ceremonies, especially those centered on art, don't always sit right with me. The idea that my work, often composed of the most tender parts of my soul, is to be judged and then ranked in terms of worthiness by strangers seems rather dehumanizing. As an artist myself, I do not paint, write, and offer this intimate piece of myself to others merely to be applauded. I do it to convey myself in a way that expands beyond verbal expression in hopes of communing with people. I want my art to be a learning experience — something that sparks discourse. If I am only ever creating for others’ approval, how can I be sure I’m doing something that truly matters?
In a recent podcast interview with Carmelo Anthony, Ryan Coogler offers his perspective on film award shows. Coogler says that award shows in the film industry only started to gain popularity and financial success comparable to the music Industry at the time. The film industry categorized movies into genres that produce limiting rankings and associations that determine whether a film is considered artistic or not. Therefore, dramas were to be perceived as serious artwork, horror films were taboo, comedies were nonsensical, and movies with Black people were just a joke. Coogler understood that if he were to make a movie like "Sinners", it could easily be categorized as inferior; made into something to be forgotten. Coogler wanted to break down the walls that upheld this system, not for a trophy or two, but to articulate an important story impossible to flatten into another “Black movie.” Sinners cultivated a world that shed light on experiences, voices, and cultural truths in American history that have been undermined for far too long. Coogler created "Sinners" with no intention of being complicit with the film industry’s absurd artistic rulebook; he made “Sinners” to resist it by staying true not only to himself but also to America’s underdogs.
As the 2026 Oscar awards season approaches, I think we need to reassess our values, as we may have missed an important message from Coogler. Individuals who are angered by film award ceremonies believe they are raising questions about why some art is wrongfully determined to be more valuable than others. Still, the more important question is why we seem to hold some approvals as more conclusive than others. If you liked the film, shouldn’t that be validating enough?
Black bodies must be conscious of who we seek to be dignified by. We must stop giving White audiences the power to feel as though they can aggrandize us into their world—it's not normal, nor beneficial to the Black masses. Especially when the said audience belongs to historically racist institutions such as Hollywood. The overemphasis of Black art needing to be not only recognized but accepted by white viewers is not the progressive demand we might think it is. Seeking White validation only perpetuates White superiority.
I won’t waste my time unpacking Hollywood’s racist past because—well, let’s not state the obvious. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that not much has changed, despite a guise that depicts Hollywood as inclusive because the Little Mermaid was Black that one time or because Jordan Peele and Issa Rae exist; although their moments within the industry are honorable, let's not mistake them as revolutionary progress for Black Americans. The CEO of every large entertainment platform is still White, the majority of the most substantial film directors are White men, and the individuals filling the seats at every sacred award show are still visibly a White majority crowd. Long-term change won’t come from sticking a Black body in the spotlight every now and then; change starts by decentering dominantly White, highly exclusive, and arguably pointless distinctions of what honorable art looks like. Why try so hard to appeal to an industry that was never meant for people of color? These award ceremonies are not true testaments to the importance of one’s artwork, especially not one about Black American culture.
"Sinners" was a meaningful movie before its 16 Oscar nominations, before the Golden Globes ceremony, and even before its box-office success; mass appeal will never quantify worth. "Sinners" has always and will always be meaningful art because Ryan Coogler scripted a piece of himself he believed was worthy enough to preserve indefinitely and share through intergenerationally accessible media.
Earlier, I asked: How can I be sure that I’m creating something that truly matters? I believe Coogler provides a fruitful answer to my question. Throughout multiple Coogler interviews, I found an admirable pattern. The film director seemed to be most satisfied with himself when conversing with viewers about what the movie meant to them. As if the act of seeing how others interact with the work through interpretation and emotional connection served as proof that his story truly reached the audience as he intended it to. As an artist, you are aware of what your art means to you and can only hope that you created something that resonates with others.
When you see that actually happen, the work starts to feel much bigger than you. If you are waiting to watch the Oscars to see if Ryan Coogler finally made Black folk look cool to wealthy White people, you are missing the point. Ryan Coogler didn’t do this for them; he made that movie with you and me in mind. If you want to see some positive change, then take notes from Coogler. Show up in spaces unapologetically true to who you are. Take risks without knowing if you will succeed. Break records not to be validated, but because you exceed all expectations. Break down every box intended to constrain you. Build your own table and chairs when there is no seat at the table meant for you. Stand out not to be chosen, but because you dare to make a statement bigger than yourself.
