Columnist Kenyetta Whitfield discusses the recent #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
About two weeks ago, the moment film lovers have been waiting for finally came — the 2016 Oscar nominations were announced. As with every year’s batch of nominations, the Internet was flooded with opinion pieces on who got snubbed and who didn’t. In particular there were many people who decided to take to social media and point out the obvious flaw with this year’s nominees: Not a single person of color was nominated.
Yes, once again the academy disappointed people everywhere by snubbing all the wonderful performances by people of color.
The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite on Twitter illuminated much of the frustration people feel regarding the lack of diversity when it comes to the academy’s nominations.
Last week Jada Pinkett Smith urged that people of color boycott the Oscars and invest in celebrating their own accomplishments so they can stop asking those who don’t appreciate them to recognize them.
Though it is important to create alternative spaces to celebrate people of color, it is not shameful to call out institutions that continue to ignore minorities even though each year they create a growing number of immaculate films and art in general.
Since the controversy of #OscarsSoWhite, the academy president has vowed to tackle the diversity issue. However, fixing the issue of diversity does not mean throwing a bone to any movie with a person of color in it. It means encouraging people of color to get into the arts and film industry. It also means making movies that focus on characters of color in undemeaning roles. An actor of color does not have to always be seen as a slave; they have the right to be lovers, geniuses and more.
When Lupita Nyong’o won her Oscar two years ago, there were countless think pieces and tweets emphasizing the importance of representation. Yet, there has been a lack there of representation, and children of color have only small and marginalized things to look forward to. While white children can celebrate Jennifer Lawrence, black young girls hope that their parents get them an Ava DuVernay Barbie doll in order to feel a part of something.
Viola Davis recently stressed the importance of people of color — specifically black people — making films. Without them making films, there continues to be nothing to nominate for Oscars and Golden Globes. Talk will always be talk unless serious action is taken.
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Controversy over Jada Pinkett Smith’s call to boycott the Oscars has arisen from actresses Charlotte Rampling and Julie Delpy. Rampling said the boycott is racist against white people while Delpy claimed black people have more representation than women. Both actresses missed the entire point of the hashtag as well as the boycott. People of color need to continue to fight for representation in their artistic fields, and that doesn’t mean just black people.
Kenyetta Whitfield is a sophomore studying journalism. What do you think about Rampling and Delpy's comments? Tweet Kenyetta @Ken_Whitty or email her at kw162913@ohio.edu.
