Jada Pinkett Smith condemns Academy Awards for lack of diversity among nominees

There is no excuse for the lack of diversity amongst nominees...

Jada Pinkett Smith condemns Academy Awards for lack of diversity among nominees

BY PETER SBLENDORIO 

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 

Sunday, January 17, 2016, 11:58 AM

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Jada Pinkett-Smith Debates Boycotting the Oscars Due To Lack of Diversity in Nominations

Entertainment Tonight

She's certainly not thanking the Academy.

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith slammed the Oscars selection committee for only nominating white actors for awards at next month's highly anticipated show — and even questioned whether actors of color should boycott the prestigious ceremony altogether. "At the Oscars, people of color are always welcomed to give out awards, even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments," she wrote on Facebook and Twitter.

"Should people of color refrain from participating all together?" she continued. "People can only treat us in the way in which we allow. With much respect in the midst of deep disappointment, J."

Pinkett Smith was one of many people outraged by the lack of diversity among this year's nominees — especially considering this is the second consecutive year that only white actors were nominated for an Oscar.

One of the most notable snubs in this year's show is Pinkett Smith's husband, Will Smith, who dazzled in his dramatic portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2015's harrowing NFL medical tell-all, "Concussion."

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The Real Deal: Why you might be a feminist and not even know it

In my short time being involved in politics, I’ve noticed a surprising trend. Most people seem to refrain from identifying as being a feminist. Even my liberal and progressive colleagues will refrain from the term, and this is because of the negative connotations the term has earned due to pop culture. When many hear the word feminist they think of rallies and “feminazis.” This however is not even close to the true goal and meaning of feminism. In fact, you might be a feminist. So, let me shed some light on what a feminist truly is.

Do you think men and women should be treated equally under the law? Do you support men and women being treated equally in the work place? What about in the classroom? If you said yes to these questions, then you already support the idea of feminism when it comes to legal equality. Many people have the idea that feminism is the idea that women should rise up and dominate the world, and that is not what feminism is at all. Feminism simply calls for men and women to be treated the same by their bosses, police, teachers, etc. Feminism is gender equality for all genders, plain and simple.

Read Whole story here.

Emma Watson's Feminist Book Club Is Now Up And Running, And Here's How You Can Join

Emma Watson's Feminist Book Club Is Now Up And Running, And Here's How You Can Join

Emma Watson works fast. Just days after throwing out the idea of starting a feminist book club, the actress and activist has gotten her group off the ground. Watson announced in a tweet Friday that the club — newly christened Our Shared Shelf — has launched on Goodreads. READ THE ENTIRE STORY HERE IN BUSTLE MAGAZINE.

The 5 Best Feminist Quotes Of The Past Week Were Heard By Millions & That's Something To Be Proud Of

The Golden Globes, the State of the Union, and, well, Twitter were among the biggest platforms for talking about feminism this week. If you think about it, it's remarkable — and inspiring — that these outlets have become platforms for gender equality given their reach in our country. Thanks to these platforms, the best feminist quotes of the past week likely reached millions of ears.

Last Sunday, an estimated 18.5 million people watched the 2016 Golden Globes. On Tuesday, more than 30 million people watched President Obama deliver his final State of the Union address. Although both of these audiences were smaller this year than last year, that's still millions of people hearing and watching a primetime program with feminist perspectives woven throughout. Then, of course, there's Twitter. There are hundreds of millions of people on Twitter around the world, and hundreds of thousands of new users signing upevery day. The best feminist tweets of this week weren't only posted to millions of followers (thank you, Emma Watson), but also retweeted thousands of times, hopefully reaching an even wider audience.

It's easy to celebrate when a big name (someone like President Obama) says something feminist — and we should indeed celebrate it. But this week, I'd like to celebrate the millions of people who heard or saw that feminism because, ultimately, isn't it a receptive audience that helps to make their statements so powerful?

Kate Winslet's Girl Power

Handout/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Kate Winslet was honored with the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her role in Steve Jobs. Even before thanking her co-star Michael Fassbender and production team, Winslet proclaimed, "I just want to start by saying, what an incredible year for women in film." She continued her feminist thoughts in the press room afterward:

I just think that women are doing such great work. I think that there's a lot of us out there in the game. And I've been doing this for 23 years now; Cate Blanchett's been doing it for probably longer, actually. And then there's Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda. I mean, these wonderful women, who we're so fortunate to stand alongside and to learn from, still. And it's just incredibly exciting to have that array of skill for all of us to be inspired by and to be a part of. That is just wonderful. It really feels fantastic. And there's a real sense of girl power in this year in terms of performance. And it's just incredible to be a part of that.

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