These Four Black Women Were Just Nominated for Acting Oscars

Tuesday morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized the work of four incredible Black women actresses.

Ruth Negga secured her first Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Loving, in which she stars as one half of an interracial couple who break the law by getting married in 1960s Virginia.

Viola Davis made history by becoming the first Black woman to earn three Oscar nominations. Her latest is in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Fences.

Naomie Harris was nominated in the same category for her performance in the year's critical darling, Moonlight.

Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer is nominated in for her role in Hidden Figures. She told Today, "to be nominated for this role, in this time in history, is just really so humbling."

Hidden Figures, Fences, and Moonlight are all nominated for Best Picture Oscars.

This year's list of diverse nominees is a far cry from the 2016 nods which recognized no Black actresses.