#OscarsSoWhite is a hashtag created by April Reign in January 2015 in response to the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards, in which all 20 acting nominees were white.[1] The hashtag received broader national attention in 2016 after the nominations for the 88th Academy Awards again featured only white acting nominees, prompting renewed criticism of the lack of diversity in the film industry.[2]
Background
editApril Reign introduced the hashtag on Twitter on January 15, 2015, the day the 87th Academy Awards nominations were announced. While the hashtag later became widely known, one case study notes that it first came to worldwide prominence in 2016.[3]
On January 14, 2016, nominations for the 88th Academy Awards were announced. For the second consecutive year, all 20 acting nominees were white.[4] The nominations drew widespread criticism and renewed attention to the hashtag.[2]
Boycott and industry response
editSeveral prominent figures, including Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith, announced that they would not attend the ceremony.[5][6]
Actor George Clooney also criticized the lack of diversity in the film industry, saying Hollywood was "moving in the wrong direction" on diversity.[7]
In response, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, then president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced measures intended to increase diversity within the organization. The Academy pledged to double female and minority membership by 2020.[8]
Outcomes
editBy 2019, the Academy's membership was reported to be 32 percent women and 16 percent people of color, up from 25 percent and 8 percent respectively in 2015.[9] A 2023 analysis based on data from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that the proportion of Oscar nominees from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups increased from 8 percent in 2008–2015 to 17 percent in 2016–2023.[10]
Retrospective coverage has described the hashtag as having grown into a broader movement for representation in Hollywood.[11]
Scholars and media analysts have cited #OscarsSoWhite as an example of hashtag activism producing institutional change in the entertainment industry.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "What the 'Hollywood Jim Crow' Looks Like Today". The Atlantic. February 24, 2019.
- 1 2 "#OscarsSoWhite: Academy Awards slammed for lack of diversity". CBS News. January 14, 2016.
- 1 2 "#OscarsSoWhite: The Growth of a Racial Justice Movement". Media Manipulation Casebook. March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "#OscarsSoWhiteAndStraight: the Academy fails at diversity yet again". The Guardian. January 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith to Boycott the 2016 Academy Awards Over Lack of Diversity in Nominations". ABC News. January 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith to Skip Oscars in Protest". Time. January 18, 2016.
- ↑ "George Clooney says the Oscars are moving backwards on diversity". The Guardian. January 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Oscar diversity campaign may take time to find its rainbow". Reuters. January 23, 2016.
- ↑ "The Academy's Female Membership Just Climbed to a Whopping 32%". Vanity Fair. July 1, 2019.
- ↑ "Oscars diversity: USC study shows change after #OscarsSoWhite". Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2023.
- ↑ "#OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign: I'm Not Saying the Oscars Are Racist, I'm Saying They Need to Be More Inclusive". Essence. October 27, 2020.