In reply to MusicLife.

Asking for a nomination you may not deserve (see: Will Smith) is the same thing as asking for an award.

The Oscars only have so many slots. They're not going to water down the merit of the award by trying to pander to everyone. It has to be earned. Even the damn nomination holds prestige because very few get one. That means some years will have very little diversity, and some years, like 2005, will be Black actors winning more than most. The only thing a Black actor can do is give an amazing performance and then have his company and team push for him to be nominated.