The announcement of the 2016 Oscar Nominations offset a controversial debate about the lack of diversity and recognition of people of color. Out of the 20 nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, all of them are white. The absence of actors of color in all of these categories, as well as no best picture nominations for movies about black lives that were very successful in the box office and were well-received by critics, led moviegoers and actors alike to invoke a necessity for change.
Thousands of people took to Twitter using #OscarsSoWhite to express their disappointment in the stark lack of diversity in these nominations, and to advocate for actors of color who were deserving of nominations that were ignored by the Academy.
The movies "Straight Outta Compton" and "Creed" were both snubbed of best picture nominations. While Sylvester Stallone was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in "Creed," Michael B. Jordan was snubbed of a nomination for Best Actor in the same movie. In a movie about black lives, starring a black actor, that was directed by a black man, the only nomination was received by a white man.
Other notable performances that didn't receive nominations include Idris Elba in "Beasts of No Nation," John Boyega in the seventh installment of the "Star Wars" franchise, Samuel L. Jackson in "The Hateful Eight," and Will Smith in "Concussion."
In 2012, The Los Angeles Times surveyed the Academy voters, and unsurprisingly found that the Academy voters are predominantly white and male. With less than 2 percent black and less than 2 percent latino voters, 94 percent of these voters are white and 77 percent are male.
George Clooney was one of many actors who spoke out, stating, "If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated. I would also make the argument, I don’t think it’s a problem of who you’re picking as much as it is: How many options are available to minorities in film, particularly in quality films?" This raises yet another valid point to consider: there is even less room for people of color to gain recognition for their performances when there are incontrovertibly fewer opportunities in the movie industry.
Even this year's host of the Oscars, Chris Rock, referred to them as the "White BET Awards" in a tweet that can be seen here.
A statement was released from Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who expressed her disdain for the absence of diversity in this year's nominations.
"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. In the coming days and weeks, we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond. As many of you know, we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly. This isn’t unprecedented for the Academy. In the 60s and 70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together."
