The Oscar Gold Turns White

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The Oscar Gold Turns White

January 22nd, 2016

Awake Goy

The Academy Awards, known as Oscars, are being criticized for lack of diversity in acting categories.

The 2016 Oscar nominations are in; and, as last year, all of the nominees in the best acting categories are white. This has brought about controversy that has picked up steam over the past week, as several famous personalities have weighed in on the issue: Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and Snoop Dogg are among blacks in the entertainment business condemning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts for its white only slate of nominees—all three have pledged to boycott the Oscars Award Ceremony, scheduled to air at 7 p.m., February 28, on the ABC Television Network. Actor Don Cheadle joked in a twitter message to this year’s Oscars’ host Chris Rock: “Yo, Chris. Come check me out at The Oscars this year. They got me parking cars on G level.” David Oyelowo, who was a potential nominee for his portrayal of Rev/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Salem, said that the Academy “doesn’t reflect me, and it doesn’t reflect the nation.”

On the other side, the black co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, a 1990 Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in the movie Ghost, indicated that boycotting the Awards Ceremony was not a wise action to take. She said that “we have this conversation every year” and it makes her mad. Likewise, co-star of the TV series Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Janet Hubert, had a harsh reaction to the call to boycott the Oscars. Donald Trump, the wealthy Republican presidential candidate, did not see the absence of diversity in the Oscar nominations as a concern. In an interview on Fox & Friends, he said: “…over the years I’ve seen numerous black actors and African American actors receive awards and I think that’s great. This doesn’t happen to be one of those years.”

The white actor George Clooney, an Oscar winner, sees the issue in a broader context. In an interview with Variety Clooney had this to say: “If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. I think about how many more African Americans were nominated.” He went on to indicate that he would make the argument that the heart of the problem is the lack of sufficient options available to minorities in the film industry.

The Academy began giving out awards in 1929. Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Oscar, which she received in 1939 for her supporting role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind. Twenty-seven years elapsed before Sidney Poitier became the second African-American to receive an Oscar, winning Best Actor for Lilies of the Fields in 1963. A total of only 15 African-Americans have won an Oscar, with Lupita Nyong’o being the last, for her supporting role in the 2014 Best Picture, 12 Years a Slave.

In reality, the Oscars controversy is part of a larger concern that the country is facing: the growing regressive trend in race relationships, cultural diversity, and the assurance of equal rights for all citizens. This is reflected in the racial loaded rhetoric of the presidential campaign, in the Black Lives Matters protests, by the resurgence of white supremacy groups, by the striking down of affirmative action mandates, by 13 states enacting voter ID laws that makes it more difficult for minorities and the elderly to vote, by political slogans such as: “Let’s take our country back”, and by an increasing number of violent incidents between the police and black males.

Academy President Cheryl Boone, who is a person of color, released a statement on Monday in which she said: “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.”

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