Oscars So White

Not sure if I told you before, but I used to work in television. Since leaving that world my focus has been on all things client-server side, so have been paying very little attention to the world of entertainment (apart from the Real Housewives of Atlanta…don’t judge). On January 14th I happened to go on twitter to see what was trending and saw #OscarsSoWhite. My reaction was simply “erm…ok”. Was I surprised? My good god NO! But here’s my initial question…why do we only talk this once a year? Movies come out throughout the 12 months.

I’m an uncompromising proud black woman, however I don’t think this is a “black thing”, I think this is a minority issue (which is actually a joke, because collectively us minorities are the majority). If you are not caucasian then you are dismissed. Why Blacktors like Jada Pinkett-Smith has decided that this year she’s going to boycott is beyond me, they should’ve been boycotting for years! This treatment is not new. The sad truth is us minorities have to work harder than our counterparts to be counted and considered, and this is not just in the world of entertainment this is across all industries.

I was once asked if I thought I had gotten a job because I’m a black woman. I said no, I got the job I’m an asset who happens to be a black woman. Was I upset by this question? Nope! I knew she was just threatened and needed a poor excuse to make her feel better about her shallow insecurities.

(Ok, enough about my life and back to my point.)

So yes, the Oscars are oh so so white, but so is our mainstream culture. Will Black Actors boycotting this year’s Oscars make a positive difference? Not necessarily. Next year there probably will be a black nominee in the acting categories, but they will always wonder if it was for the talent or some sort of Academy guilt.

I would love love LOVE for my beautiful Black people to turn this into a positive. If mainstream culture won’t accept us for who we are then maybe we should stop trying to be mainstream and do things for ourselves. I’ve had this conversation with people so many times, but maybe this is the time where we really start supporting one another and stop settling for this nonsense treatment. It’s time for a change.