Well, it happened again. They said there was no way the Academy could do it again, but they found a way. For the second year in a row, all the actors/actresses nominated for an Oscar are white. But why is this such a big deal? After all, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is made up of some of the most important and knowledgeable people in Hollywood. We should take their word for it when it comes to good and bad acting, right?

Theoretically, yes. But the Academy has come under fire in recent years for their lack of diversity. A 2012 study by The Los Angeles Times found that 94% of Oscar voters were Caucasian and 77% were male. True, the current Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, is an African American woman. However, to assume that this simple fact means that the Academy overall has become any less biased is comparable to the assumption that the election of Barack Obama signaled the end of racism in America; just as the last few years have shown how much racial prejudice still exists in this country, so too has the release of this year's Oscar nominees highlighted the need for a more diverse Academy. Furthermore, despite efforts within the last year to invite more people of color into the Academy, we're still a ways off from getting a group that is even close to representative of the American population.

But how does one even get into the Academy? Well, typically you have to be nominated for an Oscar or sponsored by two current members. The entire thing is very invitation-only. But even if the organization is exclusive, the lack of diversity can only mean one of two things: either that Caucasians and males are generally more qualified to be members of the Academy than minorities and women because of their superior cinematic skills, or that there must be some implicit system in place that makes it more difficult for females and people of color to be recognized in their fields and/or get invited into the Academy. I'm sure you'll agree with me in saying that it must be the latter.

Of course, the blame cannot fall solely on the shoulders of the Academy. After all, the Academy simply votes from the pool English-language movies within the past year. So to say that it is disappointing when all the actors/actresses nominated for an Oscar are white is not an attack on those actually were nominated; I think many would agree that people like Jennifer Lawrence and Eddie Redmayne gave absolutely phenomenal performances in their respective films. However, in a time when people of color make up such a significant part of Western society, it is definitely disheartening to see such a lack of minority characters on-screen.

As Viola Davis said in her Emmy acceptance speech last year, "You can't win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there." And, while she may have been referring to the Emmy's, the same holds true for any media awards show. It appears that films in general, especially the dramatic and poignant ones that are nominated for Oscars, hardly contain main or supporting characters of color. In fact, the existence of entirely black ensemble movies is evidence of the attempts to fix this disparity. Yet despite these attempts, it feels like the only time minorities stand a chance of being considered for an Oscar is when they play oppressed, historical roles. In the words of Youtuber Chescaleigh, "If only Creed had been a slave movie. Maybe Michael B. Jordan could've stood a chance".

So am I upset that the Oscars are all-white for the second year in a row? Yes. But I'm not mad at the Academy Awards. I'm mad that after it happens once, we claim to make significant and meaningful changes but not actually fix anything. And I'm mad that when it happens a second time, people just shrug their shoulders and say that the Academy knows best. The one good thing to come out of this is the realization that we still have a long way to go. And hopefully, one day we'll get to a point where the Oscars will naturally be a little more colorful.