For the last two decades or so, any time the word “ Oscars ” is mentioned in front of my dad, he’s quick to say, “Spike Lee should’ve gotten it for Malcolm X.” It doesn’t matter what aspect of the awards show we’re discussing; some form of that comment pushes through every time.Me: “I loved Cate Blanchett’s dress last night.”Dad: “Spike Lee should’ve gotten it.”Me: “Did you hear Meryl’s acceptance speech last night?”Dad: “Yeah. You know, it’s a doggone shame Malcolm X lost.”You get the idea.Dad occasionally watches the Academy Awards, but his faith in them was betrayed when “Malcolm X lost” on Oscar night, 1993. And by “Malcolm X lost,” he means: How the hell did Denzel Washington lose to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman? And why was Malcolm X only nominated for two awards: Best Actor and Best Costume Design? He’ll never let it go.As a kid, I didn’t quite grasp the heart of what he was feeling. I get it now, though. We’re back to #OscarsSoWhite for a second year in a row, and this round feels even more dire than the first. Soon after the Academy announced the nominees on January 14, the Twittersphere blurted out a collective “WTF?” over the fact that not a single nonwhite actor was nominated. If nothing else, I was certain, Idris Elba would score a Best Actor nod for Beasts of No Nation. Nope. Same for Tangerine, featuring trans women of color Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. Creed, Straight Outta Compton, and Concussion were all thought to be contenders early on. Instead, all of them were shut out, along with their largely Black casts.I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that when it comes to awards shows, every minority household has experienced some variation of the “Malcolm X was robbed” moment. When one of our own is nominated, we optimistically rally around the television, despite the odds, only to be let down (time and again) when another award goes to “that same (almost always white) person who was nominated last year.” It’s exhausting. But this year, we didn’t even make it to the nominations list.