On January 16th, live from Los Angeles, the Academy Award nominations were announced. Many were not surprised to see the usual faces who were nominated for their work in film this year. Actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, Matt Damon for The Martian, and Brie Larson for Room, were all expected to receive nominations for what critics are considering groundbreaking roles. However, many people were also angry to see that for the second year in a row, no African Americans were nominated in the acting categories. Soon the hashtag #oscarssowhite began trending on Twitter, with many people, including celebrities, calling for a boycott on the Academy Awards this year.
Racism at the Oscars has been discussed since 1929 when the first Academy Awards were held. To this day, African Americans have always been the minority in the acting nominations. However, the question of whether this is a form of racism, or a resulting consequence from the fact that fewer roles are offered to them still remains.
Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar in 1939 for her supporting role in Gone with the Wind. It was not until 1963 that Sidney Poitier won an Oscar for his leading role in Lilies of the Field. As of 2015, there have only been fifteen African American actors who have won Academy Awards. Many feel that in 2016, this lack of diversity of the nominees should no longer be an issue.
Jada Pinkett Smith, known for her role in Madagascar, came out recently with a statement that she will not be attending or watching the Academy Awards this year. Many feel Pinkett Smith is boycotting the awards due to the fact that her husband, Will Smith, was not nominated for his role in Concussion. Others, like director Spike Lee, are joining the boycott, and are upset that films with a mainly African American cast, such as Straight Outta Compton and Beasts of No Nation were not nominated.
Yet others, like Will Smith’s co-star Janet Hubert from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, criticized Pinkett Smith for her statement. Hubert condemned Pinkett Smith for complaining about the Oscars when there are more important issues facing the African American community. Interestingly, Chris Rock, a famous and successful comedian, was chosen this year to host the Academy Awards. While many actors urged him to turn down the gig after the nominations, Rock will still be hosting. He, along with other African American actors, believe they can make a bigger difference by being there, as opposed to boycotting the event.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—who also happens to be African American—released a statement following the controversy. Issacs stated, “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.” Whoopi Goldberg, an Academy Award winner herself known for speaking her mind, gave her own opinion on the situation. She said, “I won once, so it can’t be that racist. I’ve been black the whole time.”
The 88th Academy Awards will take place on February 28th. This year people will not only tune in to see who will win, but also to see how the Academy will address this ongoing controversy.