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For the second year in a row,not a single person of color has been nominated for an acting Oscar. But for many, that isn't really a surprise, or especially when you consider that the Academy is made up of mostly white men over 50.
It even seems a bit ironic that comedian Chris Rock is set to host the awards this year. The final time he hosted,back in 2005, he acknowledged the Academy's race problem:"We have four black nominees tonight!" he said. "So grand! It's kind of like the def Oscar jam tonight.”Celebrities like Director Spike Lee and Actress Jada Pinkett Smith are boycotting the ceremony this year. Pinkett Smith posted a video to Facebook, and alluding to the fact that black artists generate tons of revenue for a mostly white industry.“Maybe it is time that we pull back our resources and we establish them back in our communities,into our programs, and we make programs for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit, and that are just as generous as the so-called mainstream ones,” she said.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement that the industry will take "dramatic steps" to diversify their membership. But will that actually translates to more artists of color getting the recognition they deserve?Shola Lynch, a filmmaker and curator at the Schomburg middle for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, or Paul Beatty,a poet and author most recently of a novel is called "The Sellout," discuss the whiteness of the Academy Awards, and what it says approximately people of color in the film industry. What you'll learn from this segment:How some are working to make the Oscars more diverse.
How the film industry itself is contributing to a lack of diversity.
How things have and haven't changed in Hollywood.
Source: wnyc.org