This is an opinion column.

Why don’t you ever write anything nice about Alabama?

I get that question at least once a week. Sometimes more often than that. I wish I had a nice answer. Instead, I have a truthful one.

Non-Crimson-Tide-related success stories are rare, like four-leaf clovesr, white buffalo or open parking spaces at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center.

Sometimes they’re as rare as spotting a four-leaf clover while riding a white buffalo to said open parking space at the BJCC.

Sunday night, though, was one of those moments of joy. The stars lined up in Hollywood and for a moment their light shone on our home state.

Not one but two Alabama boys filled their trophy cases full of Oscar gold.

A lot of it.

Alabama native Daniel Scheinert and his creative partner Daniel Kwan took home Academy Awards for best picture, best directing and best original screenplay.

Alabama native Paul Rogers won for best editing.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” all but ran the tables, racking up awards for best actress and best supporting actor and actress.

Steven Speilberg got to clap a lot.

But best of all, when the Alabama folks and their friends took the stage, they accepted their victories with the kind of humor and humility to make their mommas proud. Both moms were in attendance, by the way.

Scheinert used his first few seconds at the mic to thank his Alabama teachers who changed his life.

Heck, before it was over, even Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Ala., had a moment of fame, having been where Scheinert acquired his tuxedo, according to his mom.

“I love Alabama,” Scheiner said in a video to his Sidewalk Film friends back home.

This is what success looks like. This was a genuine achievement. This was something every Alabamian should be able to get behind.

And many Alabamians did.

Unfortunately, many is not all. And when it came to shout-outs from Alabama state elected officials, “many” means “not any.”

Maybe it was a quirk of daylight savings time and Montgomery had gone to bed early Sunday night, but by Tuesday morning, not one of Alabama’s constitutional officers had shared a word of congratulations online.

Not Gov. Kay Ivey, nor Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth.

Not Secretary of State Wes Allen, State Auditor Andrew Sorrell nor (check Google to see who won last …) yep, still the lowly State Treasurer Young Boozer.

Senator Majority Leader Greg Reed was silent as a Charlie Chaplain flick.

So was House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter.

Republicans were missing from the celebration and Democrats, too.

Not one member of Jefferson County’s legislative delegation said a peep on social media.

Not on Twitter.

Not on Facebook.

When any of them discover TikTok, I’ll check there too.

It’s possible I missed somebody, but of all the public officials’ accounts scoured, only Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin congratulated the men for their historic achievement.

That’s a shame. Because moments like this are rare and they should be celebrated.

Maybe, it had been too long since our folks in Montgomery had witnessed a victory that didn’t involve a football, they didn’t recognize the accomplishment when they saw it.

Or maybe the success of two great Alabamians doing great things made all those elected officials feel small.

Because that’s how those officials look today.

Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group, 2020 winner of the Walker Stone Award, winner of the 2021 SPJ award for opinion writing, and 2021 winner of the Molly Ivins prize for political commentary.