On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, filmmaker Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith announced they would boycott the 88th Academy Awards, highlighting the lack of diversity among nominees for the second consecutive year. The move underscores ongoing frustrations with Hollywood’s failure to recognise the contributions of Black artists and other minorities.
Spike Lee: “Forty White Actors in Two Years and No Flava at All”
In a powerful Instagram post, Lee, a longtime critic of Hollywood’s lack of inclusivity, called out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its all-white slate of acting nominees.
“We cannot support it and [I] mean no disrespect … But how is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white?” Lee wrote. “Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all. We can’t act?! WTF!!”
Lee, who received an honorary Oscar in November 2015, used the occasion to invoke Dr. King’s legacy, quoting: “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it’s right.”
While Lee acknowledged that the Oscars are a visible symbol of the problem, he emphasised that the true issue lies in the executive offices of Hollywood studios, where decisions about which films to produce are made.
“People, the truth is we ain’t in those rooms, and until minorities are, the Oscar nominees will remain lily white,” Lee wrote.
Jada Pinkett Smith: “We Must Stand in Our Power”
Pinkett Smith also announced her decision to boycott the ceremony in a video posted to Facebook, stating she would not even watch the broadcast. Her husband, actor Will Smith, was widely considered a contender for his role in Concussion but did not receive a nomination.
“Today is Martin Luther King’s birthday, and I can’t help but ask the question: Is it time that people of colour recognise how much power, influence, that we have amassed, that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere?” Pinkett Smith said.
“Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power,” she added. “So let’s let the Academy do them, with all grace and love. And let’s do us, differently.”
The Rise of #OscarsSoWhite
The controversy surrounding the lack of diversity in Oscar nominations has sparked renewed criticism of the Academy’s voting body, which remains predominantly white, male, and older.
The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending on social media after notable Black talent, including Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation), Michael B. Jordan (Creed), and the cast and crew of Straight Outta Compton, were overlooked for nominations.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is Black, expressed disappointment over the lack of diversity among nominees. “We have got to speed it up,” Isaacs said, referring to the Academy’s ongoing efforts to broaden its membership.
Still, Isaacs defended the quality of the nominated films, calling 2015 “a great year in film.”
Chris Rock and the Oscars Debate
Chris Rock, who is set to host the February 28 ceremony, has largely remained quiet about the controversy but referred to the Oscars on Twitter as “the white BET Awards.”
The #Oscars. The White BET Awards.https://t.co/8qjLR0uysI
— Chris Rock (@chrisrock) January 15, 2016
Lee and Pinkett Smith’s boycott adds to mounting pressure on the Academy to accelerate its diversity efforts and address systemic inequities in the film industry. As Lee put it, “This industry is so far behind sports, it’s ridiculous. It’s easier to be president of the United States as a Black person than to be head of a [movie] studio.”
With high-profile figures like Lee and Pinkett Smith taking a stand, the conversation about representation in Hollywood is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
