The "Mystic Knights of the Sea" as depicted in the pre-1943 serial version of "Amos 'n' Andy" were clearly intended as a Masonic parody. Perhaps an Oscars parady is in order.
It was an annual gathering held at one posh hotel or another on the eve of the Academy Awards. Officially, it was called the Tree of Life Awards. But most people called it by its informal name: the Black Oscars.
Can we bitch and moan that there aren't enough white people represented?
"It was always a celebration of what accomplishments black people had done in the film industry," said actress and director Debbie Allen, who was honored by the Black Oscars and its sister event, the Black Emmys. "Sound, music, directors, actors, whatever your participation was, you were honored."
The annual event was launched in 1981 at a time when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rarely recognized black achievements. By that time, only 27 African Americans had been nominated in the 52-year history of the Oscars, with only three winning. The Tree of Life Awards ended in 2007.
But with the academy nominating an all-white slate of actors for the second year in a row, Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Assn., says the circumstances that prompted the Black Oscars are prevalent again.
"It began as a way to fill a void in the city and in the community," he said. "People work hard and invest in their craft and were being ignored ... so the Black Oscars became a way for them to receive acknowledgment of their talents and their craft."