Academy Board Endorses Steps To Increase Diversity

Award season has arrived, but instead of cheers and applause, there are only unanswered questions. For the second year in a row, the Oscars presented all-white nominations. The outrage that took place on social media was only the beginning of the “Oscar problem.”

The New York Times recently published an article on Jan. 22, 2016 by Michael Cieply titled “Academy Board Endorses Changes to Increase Diversity in Oscar Nominees and Itself”, in which he describes that the actions the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences plans to take in hopes “to double the number of female and minority members by 2020” (2). The academy’s plan to change its voting requirements, as well as its recruiting process to increase diversity within the membership,

Every ten years, “voting status may be revoked for those who have not been active in the film business in a decade. But members who have had three 10-year terms will have lifetime voting rights, as will those who have won or been nominated for an Academy Award” (2). The change is intended to create a more young and diverse cast, but the backlash is expected as well. Some are questioning why seasoned members may lost their right to vote when they are more than qualified. According to the article, “academy voting rights rank among Hollywood’s more coveted marks of status, not least because of the screening invitations and flattering attention that come with them” (2). Becoming a voter in the academy is a rite of passage, and someone like Sam Weisman, who has been apart of the academy’s directors’ branch since 1998, questions that even though he has “[judged] the Nicholl fellowships and the Student Academy Awards (3),” is he still qualified to vote for the Oscars? Retaining experienced voters is important in the voting process, but the academy’s intention says nothing about diminishing qualified

Representation in all aspects, race, age, family dynamics, and more give younger folks time to appreciate themselves early on instead of learning to love themselves years after. Having movies with a predominantly black cast and having black nominees leads to a culture of acceptance and talent. Young kids who see themselves in their role models are able to imagine themselves as actors and actresses, directors and producers. The “Oscar problem” essentially ends with the Oscars because the problem begins much before that. With deeper representation and more job opportunities, the Oscars can once again become a lively event that can be appreciated by all kinds of