The Oscars and Diversity: Latinos Seated at the Children's Table
NiLP Note: The Oscars last night attempted to address its diversity problem by giving host Chris Rock a lot of latitude in his routines and dragging in every available Black (non-boycotting) performer to act as presenters.
But as the reaction below by two leading Latino media advocates points out, Latinos were, again, left out. With so many Black and one Latina (Sofia Vegara) as presenters, the event looked like the recreation of Southern plantation during slavery: Black folks servicing Whites by bestowing little golden statuettes upon them. There were, it should be pointed out, a fairly good number of Latino names in the credits, so, as usual, we were behind-the-scenes servicing White people.
Below La Plaza's John Estaveste and NHMC's Alex Nogales expressed their concerns about the Academy Awards show to the heads of the Academy. You might want to drop them a note as well to let them know that the Latino community is watching:
Dawn Hudson
Chief Executive Officer
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(310) 247-3000
Cheryl Boone Isaacs
President, Board of Governors
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(310) 247-3000
---Angelo Falcón
February 29, 2016
Dear Cheryl and Dawn,
I would be remiss if I did not express my complete disappointment with last night's program. It's like we were invited to an exclusive dinner party and then told to sit at the children's table.
I really thought the Academy was sincere about addressing diversity and inclusiveness but last night fell far short of your expressed commitment to "reflect the community you serve." It's quite clear that the Academy views diversity as exclusively a black issue.
Chris Rock had the opportunity to frame the issue as one of inclusiveness of all groups, and chose to paint it black. Imagine the outrage if John Leguizamo had hosted the show and only referenced Latinos at the exclusion of all other groups.
The Academy didn't create this problem, the studios did. But the Academy had a perfect opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to change by showcasing a diverse group of actors as presenters, in skits and in references, but focused entirely on black themes. It's clearer than ever that the Academy needs basic training in Diversity & Inclusion 101.
Diversity took a big step backwards last night in a performance that was disappointing, shameful and pathetic.
Sincerely,
John Echaveste
President & SEO
La Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Los Angeles, CA
Dawn, Cheryl,
John is correct in his assessment of last night's Awards presentation. It became an exclusive black issue, and diversity as we all know is about much more than just one group of people. We are disappointed that the show was allowed to go exclusively in that direction.
Alex Nogales
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
Pasadena, CA
www.nhmc.org
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The NiLP Report on Latino Policy & Politics is an online information service provided by the National Institute for Latino Policy. For further information, visit www.latinopolicy. org. Send comments to editor@latinopolicy.org.