As widely reported, a row over race erupted following the nominee announcement of the 2016 Oscars.
Much to the dismay of cultural commentators, not one actor or actress of color garnered a nomination in any of the 20 slots available in the 4 main acting categories.
What’s more, in other categories, there was some yet not much in the way of ethnic diversity.
The episode has reached such intensity that it has forced the president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs (a lady of color herself) to issue a statement.
Thankfully, it’s not a run of the mill series of words, it reads like an actual acknowledgement that change is more than needed. It’s necessary.
Her words below…
“I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees. While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.
As many of you know, we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly.
This isn’t unprecedented for the Academy. In the ‘60s and ‘70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together.
Smart play. One we feel is rooted in sincerity.
There does need to be a broader shift in thought, one geared towards inclusivity, from everyone in the mix. The studios, the funders, the scriptwriters, so on and so forth.