Why The #OscarsSoWhite
It’s a bigger problem than the Academy
The 88th Academy Awards, or “The White People’s Choice Awards,” held on February 28th 2016 was another disappointing Hollywood sequel. Last year’s Oscars attracted widespread attention after the Academy presented an all-white group of acting nominees and this year, they did it again.
For the second year in a row, the Oscars failed to nominate any black actors or actresses. In response, the OscarsSoWhite hashtag (created by April Reign) made rounds over the Internet, stampeding through social media and online headlines. Boycotts were called, Chris Rock was asked to skip out on hosting, and the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, announced changes designed to diversify it’s membership.
These responses may draw attention to the lack of diversity that was present in this year’s nominations and black actors and actresses recognized during the Oscars. But they only address part of the problem and not the root — it’s like cutting down a tree that’s growing through the roof, and ignoring the roots that are lifting the foundation.
The problem is bigger than the Academy’s voting ethics. The real cause behind the all-white acting nominations is that the Hollywood film industry isn’t making enough Oscar-worthy movies for black actors and actresses or anyone else of color.
With this year’s #OscarsSoWhite campaign, and one of the most controversial Oscars to date, many others are recognizing this larger issue and bringing it to national attention, including big Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney, Lupita Nyong’o, Idris Elba, Melissa Rivers, and Matt Damon. Even Obama weighed in on the issue.
The president was participating in a round of interviews in Washington with TV anchors and was asked by the ABC affiliate station in Los Angeles about the Oscars controversy. He says, “and I think the Oscar debate is really just an expression of this broader issue. Are we making sure that everybody is getting a fair shot?”
In an interview with Variety, Oscar winner, George Clooney speaks about the black actors who could have been nominated this year for their outstanding performances. He expresses that there should have been even more nominees and that the diversity issue affecting black actors and actresses, affects all ethnicities. “There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars,” he says, “by the way, we’re talking about African Americans. For Hispanics, it’s even worse.”
Since 1929, when the Academy first started handing out Oscars, only five Latino actors/actresses have won Oscars: José Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Rita Moreno, Mercedes Ruehl, and Benicio Del Toro. Also, only three actors of Asian descent have won: Miyoshi Umeki, Haing S. Ngor, and Ben Kingsley.
Throughout the long history of Hollywood and the Oscars, there have been ongoing conversations about a lack of black actors and actresses being represented in Oscar-worthy movies and acknowledged with Academy Awards. But this issue affects all people of color and extends beyond the Oscars. The Hollywood film industry has had a poor track record with hiring people of color in other roles as well.
Todd Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California who studies race and pop culture, says, “the systemic issues in Hollywood that hurt black directors are the same ones that make it hard for Asian Americans to get top film roles, or for Native Americans to receive non-stereotypical portrayals.”
As far as acting, there are simply not as many Oscar-worthy or blockbuster movies made with people of color in mind. In a recent study titled “Inequality in 700 Popular Films,” USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism compared the gender, race, and LGBT status in 700 popular films between 2007 and 2014. The study found that, out of the top 100 films each year, about 71% of speaking roles went to white actors. Not everyone is getting a fair shot in movies and therefore, the Oscars are doomed to reflect that.
Academy member, George Takei explains in an interview with Flavorwire that his list on the ballot was “very short when it came to ethnic minorities.” He goes on to say that “women are the minority too,” and voters in the Academy can only acknowledge what’s made in Hollywood.
Looking at the amount of Oscar-worthy movies and other blockbuster movies released every year that star white actors and actresses, often directed by white directors, it’s evident that there aren’t enough Hollywood movies made for and about people of color and there aren’t enough other industry roles given to them.
Marc Bernardin from The Hollywood Reporter asks:
“Where is the black Revenant? Or the Latino The Kids Are All Right? Or the Asian Black Swan? Why don’t those movies get made?”
Kwame Opam from The Verge calls upon Hollywood:
“The entire industry must respond to the criticism by encouraging writers, actors, producers, and directors from all backgrounds to join their ranks.”
It’s not entirely the Academy’s fault and #OscarsSoWhite won’t solve the larger issue at hand. The needed push for diversity may have already started with the Academy’s promising decision to expand its members, but the only sure-fire way for people of color to get better representation in the Oscars, and in Hollywood, is if the industry collectively makes a change.
Studio executives and other decision makers, at the problem’s roots, need to widen their focus and offer equal opportunities to all people of color. This will help establish a more diverse industry that reflects American society and prevent another disappointing Oscars sequel, which viewers, Hollywood celebrities, and Academy members want.
