Halle Berry finds it 'heartbreaking' that she's still the only Black best actress Oscar winner, according to her the lack of another win by a Black woman in the best actress category does not diminish the great job

According to CNN, Halle Berry had no idea she'd win the Academy Award for best actress in 2002 for her performance in "Monster's Ball." There is now skepticism that she is still the first Black woman to win the Oscar for best actress. In her emotional acceptance speech, she said, "It's been 74 years," referring to the fact that she was the first Black woman to receive the honor.

Since then, two Black men, Jamie Foxx and Forest Whitaker, have received the Academy Award for Best Actor. Berry believes that the lack of another win by a Black woman in the best actress category does not diminish the outstanding job done by her fellow Black actresses.

"We can't always judge success or progress by how many awards we have," she told the Times. "Awards are the icing on the cake — they're your peers saying you were exceptionally excellent this year — but does that mean that if we don't get the exceptionally excellent nod, that we were not great, and we're not successful, and we're not changing the world with our art, and our opportunities aren't growing?"

This year, no Black women have been nominated for best actress.