Friday, January 30, 2015

Diversifying Hollywood About More Than the Academy Awards

by 
I will join the chorus of voices who think it is a terrible shame that Ava Duvernay will not be up for an Academy Award for her work on Selma. It's equally concerning that not a single actor or actress of color will be eligible for awards in the four acting categories and that only men will be under consideration for Best Director. While it's terrible that Ms. Duvernay won't be able to make history this year, perhaps it's even worse that there are so few women and people of color for awards panels to even choose from.
This year's Academy Awards are set to be the least diverse in 17 years. It doesn't just stop at the Oscars, a lack of diversity plagues Hollywood even more broadly. Out of the vast amount of movies produced this year only a small number featured women directors and producers or lead actors and actresses of color. We should be able to name many more African American, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander actors, directors, screenwriters, and producers who should have been up for consideration in addition to those who worked on Selma.
During a tearful acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez said, "This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes." Her words resonated with many viewers that night because they were true. Women and people of color want and deserve to see their stories accurately represented in television and on the silver screen. They also deserve consideration for Hollywood's top honors for the quality of their contributions.
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