#OscarsSoWhite? It Starts With The Academy
The BBC reported that for the second year in a row, there were no people of color nominated for Academy Awards in any of the major categories, prompting social media to react with a continuation of last year's #OscarsSoWhite campaign: #OscarsStillSoWhite.
Filmmaker, Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith, have said they plan to boycott this year's Academy Awards.
Fans have rallied around their decision.
At the Oscars...people of color are always welcomed to give out awards...even entertain, (pt. 1)
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 16, 2016
But we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments. Should people of color refrain from participating all together? (pt 2)
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 16, 2016
I would like to express my gratitude to the Academy, specifically Cheryl Boone Isaacs, (pt 1)
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 20, 2016
for such a quick response in regard to the issue at hand. I look forward to the future. (pt 2)
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 20, 2016
Oscar winner, Lupita Nyong’o have also added her voice to the Oscars’ lack of diversity
The 32-year-old actress, who won an Academy Award for her performance in 12 Years a Slave back in 2014, released a statement on her Instagram account.
She wrote “I am disappointed by the lack of inclusion in this year’s Academy Awards nominations. It has me thinking about unconscious prejudice and what merits prestige in our culture. The Awards should not dictate the terms of art in our modern society, but rather be a diverse reflection of the best of what our art has to offer today. I stand with my peers who are calling for change in expanding the stories that are told and recognition of the people who tell them.”
Lupita also included a quote from James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
After all the times she's gotten me ready for awards, it's Micaela's turn to receive one!… https://t.co/ISvlXAvvFU
— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) January 13, 2016
The
Academy
President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, vowed
to review its
membership as stars pledged to boycott the ceremony.
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