The Oscars are going to be held on Sunday, Feb. 28 this year.
The award ceremony celebrates the best films of the year. It just so happens that this year, the nominations for all lead actors and actresses are all caucasian males and females. There are no nominations of color.
Many communities and famous activists seem to be enraged.
Jada Picket-Smith was one of the first ones to call out her anger and started a movement to boycott the oscars. Other celebrities in entertainment, such as Spike Lee, have followed her and supported her movement. Some have even tried to get host, Chris Rock, to back out.
Many movies that are included in the Oscars have broken box-office records. However, many of those with black male leads did not seem to find their place in the Oscar line-up.
Is this because of a lack of talent?
Is it a racial bias against blacks in Hollywood?
Are caucasians given better roles?
The concern of racism lies in Hollywood.
Even though white males are the majority in Hollywood, many are arguing that there needs to be acknowledgement of the black actors.
The diversity of the Oscars’ academy has seemed to be questionable since Smith spoke out. There are some questions that are being raised more so now than a few years ago.
Why should there be diversity in the Oscars when the BET Awards are primarily focused on African Americans?
Why are people boycotting the Oscars because of diversity?
Why does Black History Month matter?
“Black History Month celebrates a group that is marginalized,” Sarah Carter, assistant
director of programming in the student diversity office, said. “Celebrating should not be a one time thing but should be celebrated continuously throughout the year.”
This year, the Oscars are held in February, which is the same month as Black History Month.
“The priority of Black History Month should be the very top instead of the very bottom,” Carter said. “The month is already a huge impact but the impact could be even larger.”
#OscarsSoWhite was trending on Twitter once the nominations were released. The hashtag has reached a entire community of people within Hollywood and all across the globe. Since Hollywood is so embedded in social media, the conversation was even bigger and more important.
This issue is affecting the American culture in many ways.
In an op-ed piece for the Hollywood reporter, Chris Rock had strong opinions.
“It’s a white industry,” Rock said for the Hollywood Reporter. “Just as the NBA is a black industry. I’m not even saying it’s a bad thing. It just is.”
