DeKALB | The Oscars have been deemed “whitewashed” by many film advocates noting a lack of racial diversity in the past years. However, this year three of the nine films nominated for Best Picture feature a primarily African-American cast: “Hidden Figures,” “Moonlight” and “Fences.”

This year brings the largest number of African-American nominees in history with Viola Davis, who stars in “Fences,” and Octavia Spencer in “Hidden Figures,” both in line for Best Supporting Actress. Denzel Washington is also up for Best Actor for his role in “Fences.”

The recognition of achievement stretches beyond African-Americans, as Dev Patel, who is British-Indian, was nominated for his supporting role in “Lion.”

Of the 20 actors and actresses nominated, seven of them are not white. The results were refreshing considering the Oscar nominations of 2016, which featured an all white nominees. It’s wonderful to see so much diversity in the nominations this year with the inclusion of minorities and the overall variety of films.

Minorities also made great strides in their nominations for off-screen performances. Bradford Young, the cinematographer behind “Arrival,” became the first African-American recognized in the cinematography category. Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s film “The Salesman” also gained recognition this year and is up for Best Foreign Language Film.

Tune into the Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 on ABC to see how these nominees hold up against competitors.