Legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter made history once again, becoming the most Oscar-nominated Black woman of all time. The milestone achievement further cements Carter’s legacy as a visionary creative whose work helped define the visual language of Black storytelling in film for more than three decades.Carter earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for her work on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a film that is making history in its own right with 16 Oscar nominations. With this latest recognition, Carter now stands alone as the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history across all categories. She previously tied with actress Viola Davis at four nominations and is now tied with Spike Lee and Morgan Freeman for the third-most Oscar nominations among Black creatives overall, following Quincy Jones with seven and Denzel Washington with nine.If Carter takes home the award this year, it would mark her third Oscar win—and her third Academy Award earned through collaboration with Coogler. In 2019, she became the first Black person to win an Oscar for costume design for Black Panther, and she claimed her second win in 2022 for its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The trajectory of her career stands as a powerful testament to her artistry, longevity, and unmatched influence.Carter’s journey is particularly inspiring to students and alumni of HBCUs. A proud graduate of Hampton University, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts in 1982. Shortly after graduating, she began working in costume design, and in 1986, she teamed up with director Spike Lee on School Daze. That collaboration launched a creative partnership that would include iconic films such as Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Malcolm X, the latter earning Carter one of her Oscar nominations.
