Ruth Carter became the first Black woman to win in the category for 'Black Panther' in 2019. One of the night’s most poignant moments occurred early in the Oscars 2025 telecast, when Paul Tazewell won the Academy Award for best costume design for his work on Wicked.

Paul Tazewell, an Akron, Ohio, native and former faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, made history Sunday night at the 97th Academy Awards when he became the first Black man to win an Oscar for best costume design for the theatrical adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked.

Tazewell is well-known for his work on "The Color Purple," "Hamilton," which he won a Tony Award for, and "West Side Story."