At one time, theOscarswere April Reigns Super Bowl.
She watched the annual nominations and awards ceremony religiously for decades.
It inspired other hashtags, too, like #WhiteWashedOUT for Asian actors.
Photo illustration by Matthew Cooley. Photograph in illustration by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
#OscarsSoWhite is so obvious, Reign says today.
I didnt break any mold.
It was just me saying things out loud in a different way that people have been saying for years.
In the wake of the public backlash, the Academy took action.
In 2020, it announced new diversity standards for Best Picture eligibility.
In 2021,NomadlandsChloe Zhaobecame the first woman of color to win Best Director.
A decade on from the grassroots movement, it seems like good progress has been made.
There is research to back up that notion.
THE CHANGES THAT HAVE taken place did not come easily.
But he ended his monologue with a sincere plea, asking for equal opportunities for Black actors.
Still, having Rock emcee the ceremony was not the diversity cure-all AMPAS may have thought it was.
That evenings ceremony featured two comedic bits that perpetuated stereotypes about Asians.
At least four Black executives at the Academy have since packed their bags as well.
SCRATCHING AT THE SURFACE of the positive changes the industry has seen reveals the work left to be done.
On the plus side, the Academy has continued to diversify its ranks.
Examining the new inclusion standards for Best Picture eligibility exposes flaws, too.
Dissenters were quick to call the standards subpar, arguing it would be more challengingnotto meet them.
We knowGone With the Winddid not paint us in the best of light, right?
If 90 out of 100 films already pass, thats not a standard, says Smith.
Thats like the student taking a class and just passing without really doing anything.
Like Reign, she points to the relatively weak gains that have been made in recent years.
Whats at stake here is erasing talent because of how they look or how they identify, Smith says.
They deserve it but, its so hard to get into that special club, to get that opportunity.
And its very exclusive.
So, we see a lot of progress, but, at the same time, its not enough.
Brenda Castillo, who leads the National Hispanic Media Coalition, has also pushed for reform at the Oscars.
Castillo says she applies its underlying ethos in her advocacy and policy work.
The Academy can only bestow awards on the pool of films that are made each year.
