Oscars Controversy Over All-White Nominees Continues
January 26, 2016
Every year, the Oscars are one of the most highly regarded award shows in the business. Only the best actors and actresses from Hollywood movies receive nominations for this prestigious show. That being said, in recent years, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the people who are nominated, but more importantly the people who aren’t.
In the past two years, there has been an outcry from the public and the stars as well in regard to this award show and the Academy. There are barely any black people in the Academy which is quite alarming to actors and actresses. People are continuously saying the nominations for the Oscars lack diversity. They are claiming that the African American community is not well represented and there should be a change.
In the beginning of 2016, Jada Pinkett Smith was the first person to suggest how to bring a reform to the public’s attention. She suggested a boycott of the Oscars after only people who were white were nominated for Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role. In a video she posted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, she questioned, “Is it time that people of color recognize how much power, influence, that we have amassed, that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere?” Smith’s husband, starred in the movie Concussion this year and was not given a nomination.
This year, the Oscars are supposed to be fall on February 28th and be hosted by Chris Rock. Some people, such as rapper 50 Cent, think it would be best for Rock to step down as host in order to prove the point that there has to be more diversity. This, however, would be hard for Rock to do because he is contractually obligated to be on the show.
Many people support Jada Pinkett Smith and the action she is taking to making a difference in the show. Some of the people who back her up ideas include George Clooney, Spike Lee, Mark Ruffalo, and many others. Clooney and Lee have been the ones to outwardly speak their mind the most in favor of Smith and her ideas.
On the other hand, some people do not believe the protest is just. Actress Whoopi Goldberg outwardly said that she was not in support of the boycott. Goldberg says that everywhere the same controversy comes around, and she is just sick of all the talk.
The most outright refuter of the boycott would have to be Janet Hubert. Hubert played Aunt Viv on Fresh Prince of Bel Air alongside Will Smith. Hubert took a stand against Smith and said that her proposition was not just. Hubert went on to say Smith, her family, and all of the actors that are in support of the protest, are well off and have no need to complain. Janet Hubert also said that people like Jada Pinkett Smith are part of the problem. Hubert has had a rough past with Will Smith and that could attribute to these conflicting views.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is moving to make a change in order to make the type of people nominated more varied. By the year 2020, the Academy will commit to doubling the amount of women and diverse women accepted into this prestigious group. They are changing their policies in order to cover more cultures and races, which is a step in the right direction.
All in all, tensions are running high and no one is ever going to be satisfied with the nominations chosen. However, did the Academy take it too far by not nominating movies with black stars such as Concussion or Straight outta Compton? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
