Al Sharpton - H 2014
AP ImagesAl Sharpton lit into Hollywood Thursday morning after this year’s Oscar nominations were released and not a single African-American was up for one of the 20 available slots in the four acting categories.
This marks the second year with this result; the protest hashtag last year was #OscarsSoWhite.
Before that, 2011 was the last time all of the acting contenders were white and then again in 1998.
Sharpton criticized the industry for having a “fraudulent image of progressive and liberal politics and policies” and compared success in Tinseltown to climbing the Rocky Mountains.
“Hollywood is like the Rocky Mountains, the higher up you get the whiter it gets. And this year’s Academy Awards will be yet another Rocky Mountain Oscars. Yet again, deserving black actors and directors were ignored by the Academy — which reinforces the fact that there are few if any blacks with real power in Hollywood,” Sharpton said in a statement.
He added: “Being left out of awards consideration is about more than just recognition for a job well done; winning an Oscar has long-lasting cultural and economic impacts.”
The Academy has recently made a concerted effort to diversify its membership, inviting 322 new members over the summer including Selma star David Oyelowo, British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who appears in Concussion, and Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray.
Awards-caliber performances by black actors and films focused on African-American stories included Compton, Beasts of No Nation, Will Smith in Concussion, Michael B. Jordan in Creed, Idris Elba in Beasts and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight.
Last year, David Oyelowo, who was praised for his role as the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, was one of the most notable snubs.
All white Oscar nominations are another example of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Like the Rocky Mts. The higher u climb the whiter.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 14, 2016
Hollywood has a fraudulent image of progressive and liberal politics and policies. We must take direct action to correct this. Talk is cheap
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 14, 2016
Gregg Kilday contributed to this report.
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