#OscarsSoWhite: No Minority Actors Got Nominated This Year

The Oscar nominations came out today, and they’re about what you would expect from the Academy Awards: Plenty of nods for films like “Brooklyn,” “The Revenant,” “The Martian,” “The Danish Girl” and “Carol” – and not a single minority in any of the four acting categories.

Nothing for “Straight Outta Compton,” nothing for Michael B. Jordan in “Creed,” nothing for Idris Elba in “Beasts of No Nation.” “Compton” did get a nomination for best original screenplay – which was written by two white men.

The news that this year’s Oscars will be even whiter than last year’s – with the exception of Chris Rock hosting, which I hope will lead to some brutal jokes on his part – has revived the old #OscarsSoWhite hashtag on Twitter.

April Reign, a former attorney and managing editor of BroadwayBlack.com, started the #OscarsSoWhite tag last year. She told the L.A. Times that she isn’t exactly surprised to see it back in action.

It tells me that the industry isn’t interested in changing the status quo and that there is a mistaken assumption that only movies about straight white males will bring in moviegoers. Obviously this is a for-profit business, and I absolutely understand that. But at the same time, look at “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” which has now grossed over $1 billion and is one of the highest-selling films of all time — with a female lead and a black lead. So, don’t tell me that people of color, that women cannot fill seats because “Star Wars” has proven that wrong.