We must stand in our power!We must stand in our power.
Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016
In a viral Facebook video, the Magic Mike XXL actress explained why she’s displeased that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t nominate any actors of color in major categories.
“Today is Martin Luther King’s birthday, and I can’t help but ask the question: Is it time that people of color recognize how much power and influence we have amassed that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere?” she wrote. “I ask the question: Have we come to a new time and place where we recognize that we can no longer beg for the love, acknowledge, or respect of any group?”
Lee, who earned an honorary Oscar in November 2015, also evoked the memory of King in an Instagram post: “How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let's Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can't Act?! WTF!!”
Both Pinkett Smith and Lee sent their best wishes to Oscars host Chris Rock. (On Friday, Rock tweeted that the ceremony was the "White BET Awards.")
John Singleton, however, does not share his colleagues' point of view. The filmmaker, who became the first African-American Best Director nominee for 1991's Boyz n the Hood, downplayed the Academy's failure to be more inclusive.
“There’s only so many slots, though,” he said in an interview with Variety. “There are a couple of movies that may have [warranted attention] but…it’s all subjective. It’s almost like the lottery.…The demographics of America and this business are changing. The Academy’s going to evolve. So I’m not really worried about it.”
Singleton did, however, say that the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton should have earned Best Picture and acting nods. Produced by Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, the movie only received a Best Original Screenplay nomination (for two white writers). But Ice Cube also seemed to take the long view when considering the Academy's choices.
“I’m not pissed. You know, I’m not surprised,” he said on The Wendy Williams Show.“It’s the Oscars; they do what they do. The people loved the movie, the people supported the movie…No. 1 at the box office, over $200 million worldwide. I can’t be mad, you know.”
The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag was created in 2015 by writer and lawyer April Reign to address the lack of diversity at last year’s Academy Awards. Unfortunately, it’s a hashtag that still remains relevant, even though there were many worthy films that could — and perhaps should — have been nominated.
Idris Elba was considered a likely nominee for his performance in Beasts of No Nation, but was overlooked. Digital marketing company Amobee Brand Intelligence analyzed 600,000 social sites and discovered that Beasts of No Nation was the most-discussed snub, according to Variety.
Michael B. Jordan’s performance in Creed was ignored, as was Will Smith’s turn in Concussion. Pinkett Smith (who is Will Smith's wife) is encouraging people of color to invest in their own awards ceremonies.
“Maybe it’s time to pull back our resources and we put them back into our communities, into our programs, and we make programs for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit that are just as good as the so-called mainstream ones,” she said.
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