First Black woman to win two Academy Awards

On March 12, 2023, at the 95th Academy Awards, Ruth E. Carter won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, becoming the first Black woman in history to win two Academy Awards in any category.[2][3][6] This second win, following her 2019 victory for Black Panther, cemented her status as the most decorated Black costume designer in Oscar history.

Carter’s work on the sequel deepened her exploration of Afrofuturism and grief, designing costumes that reflected Wakanda’s mourning and the introduction of Talokan, a Mesoamerican‑inspired underwater civilization. The Academy’s recognition affirmed that her visionary approach to cultural research and speculative design could sustain excellence across a film series.

For women’s and Black history, March 12, 2023, stands as a landmark date: Carter’s achievement expanded the very idea of who can be a multi‑Oscar winner, breaking a barrier that had persisted since the awards’ founding in 1929. It highlighted the possibility for Black women to not only enter elite creative ranks but to dominate them repeatedly, reshaping the narrative around longevity and leadership in Hollywood’s crafts.