February 2, 2016
Column, The Hoofbeat
Column, The Hoofbeat
The 87th Annual Academy Awards--worldly, wealthy, and white.
For the second year in a row, the academy nominations featured a list of 20 acting categories that failed to include any actors of color. The only films featuring a cast with people of color were Straight Outta Compton for best screenplay, What Happened, Miss Simone for Best Documentary and Creed for Best Supporting Actor; but only white contributors were recognized. After the original nomination list was released, widespread fury erupted on social media. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite resurfaced from last year, mounting criticism about the lack of diversity at the Oscars. Hollywood stars, such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, and Spike Lee also committed to Boycott the ceremony entirely. Even the host of the award show, comedian and actor Chris Rock, was using the literal white out as a punchline for many of his jokes. The lack of diversity at the Oscars has sadly seemed to become tradition. According to the International Business Times, after the 2016 awards, only 31 out of over 2900 awards have gone to black recipients. This year especially was expected to be a strong year for movies featuring people of color that were overlooked. Surprising omissions from the actor nominations included, Will Smith from Concussion, Idris Elba from Beasts of No Nation, Michael B. Jordan from Creed, and plenty more. While fingers immediately pointed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (which gives out the Oscars), interviews with The Hollywood Reporter reveal that Academy members were offended by accusations of racist nominations. Members who voted for nominations this year say awards were given to performers who deserved them. There is no doubt that everyone on the academy’s list of nominations is fantastic in their work and deserving of the recognition. Still the Academy is a reflection of Hollywood as an industry that is embedded in racial bias and lacking of ethnic diversity. It is no coincidence that films directed by and starring people of color were grossly underrepresented for a second year. The Academy’s voting record is only part of the issue. The Oscar white out is a symptom of a more profound problem prevailing the Hollywood industry. Hollywood lacks films, screenplays, and performances available for and by people of color. While there has been a slight increase in movies featuring stories about people of color, there still only seem to be a handful of films that diversify their narratives. President of the Academy, Cheryl Boone, expressed her frustration with the lack of diversity at the Oscars by announcing her plan to double the number of female and minority members of the academy by 2020. However, this will not be sufficient. In order to see any type of substantive change in the industry, there needs to be a push for more content performed and produced by filmmakers and actors of color. Until then, the Oscar’s lack of color is ironically going to stain its credibility. |