It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, and over four decades since the murder of the Civil Rights leader, there is still much more progress to be made. If you’ve been anywhere near social media, you’ve likely seen #oscarssowhite trending in the wake of the Oscar nominations last week, in which not one person of color managed to land a nomination in the acting categories. And now, the Oscars has its first high profile person boycotting the ceremonies.
READ MORE: The Films Of Spike Lee: A Retrospective
Spike Lee — who has never received a Best Director nomination, but was given an Honorary Oscar last fall — hit Instagram today to announce he would not be attending the Oscars, and called out the lack of diversity among the nominees, and the industry’s responsibility to open the doors to more people of color. Here’s some of what he had to say:
In addition to Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith has also announced via Facebook she’ll be boycotting the Oscars as well. Check out both their statements below and share your thoughts in our comments section. The Oscars air on February 28th.
We must stand in our power!We must stand in our power.
Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016
