Well, that didn’t take long.
After the Oscar nominees were announced last week, an onslaught of commentary regarding the lack of diversity in this year’s awards hit every social media platform—enough so that #OscarsSoWhite was trending on Twitter.
Early this morning [Tuesday, January 19] the President of The Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, issued an official statement saying she’s “heartbroken” and that it’s “time for big changes.”
See the full statement below:
The statement comes after no one of color was nominated for major awards, including Best Actor and Best Actress, and stars such as Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee made statements they will be boycotting the Oscars. Host Chris Rock also called the awards the “White BET Awards.”
While the lack of diversity in the Oscars is not a new problem by any means, this statement does spark the beginning of conversations that could lead to next year’s nominations being a little bit different.
