We don’t need them to celebrate us. We can do it ourselves.
Suggested Reading
During the Oscars, the amazingly talented YouTube collective Black&Sexy TV (founded by The Root 100 2015 honorees Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier) celebrated the best and the brightest stars in black cinema with debates about the greatest of all time.
After Chris Rock’s opening monologue, Black&Sexy TV took to its YouTube page and The Root’s Periscope to battle it out in order to pick the greatest in black cinema.
Black&Sexy TV stars Courtney Burrell and Javicia Leslie hosted the epic event, encouraging the battlers to go in as they defended their film or performance, and they definitely did!
Twelve rounds of battle determined, once and for all, which movie or performance was the best. Some of the rounds were way more heated than others, leaving classics like Menace II Society, Love Jones and The Five Heartbeats on the boxing-ring floor.
It was certainly a night to remember as we all watched live on The Root’s Periscope and Black&Sexy’s YouTube Livestream and reminisced about movies like The Last Dragon and Do the Right Thing, as well as performances like Denzel Washington’s in The Hurricane and Angela Bassett’s as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It. It felt like family.
Watch the debates on The Root’s Periscope (before it disappears!).
And the best thing about it? The winners are all black. And of course, Malcolm X took home the most wins.
Check out the big winners from each battle round (winners in bold).
Round 1 Love Jones vs. Love and Basketball
Round 2 Coming to America vs. Boomerang
Round 3 Brown Sugar vs. The Wood
Round 4 The Greatest of All Time Denzel Performance: Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Training Day
Round 5 The Greatest of All Time Spike Lee Film: Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze
Round 6 The Greatest of All Time Hood Classic: Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society, Baby Boy, Juice
Round 7 Dead Presidents vs. Set It Off
Round 8 Last Dragon vs. Purple Rain
Round 9 The Greatest of All Time Soundtrack: Love Jones, Waiting to Exhale, New Jack City, Purple Rain
Round 10 The Greatest of All Time Angela Bassett Performance: What’s Love Got to Do With It, Waiting to Exhale, Malcolm X
Round 11 The Color Purple vs. The Five Heartbeats
Round 12 Surprise round: Car Wash vs. The Wiz
Did your favorite win?
Special thanks to Black&Sexy TV for allowing The Root to be a part of this amazing celebration. Here’s hoping it’s the first of many. Also, special thanks to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation for sponsoring this for Black&Sexy TV!
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.