At the 1971 Academy Awards, George C. Scott declined his Best Actor in a Leading Role award, calling the ceremony “a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons.” James Earl Jones, who lost the award, was the only Black actor nominated that year. Almost 45 years later, lack of diversity would lead to boycotts with a much deeper reasoning and history than Scott’s.
#OscarsSoWhite became the biggest talking point of the 2015 ceremony when all 20 acting nominees were of caucasian descent. It was the second time this had occurred since 1998 and would happen again in 2016, but in 1971, that wasn’t news. It was expected that Black actors would have fewer opportunities for Oscar-worthy roles and would be less likely to be nominated. Jones was the first Black actor nominated in his category since 1963, when Sidney Poitier became the second Black actor nominated in that category and the first to win; only three men have followed in his footsteps. The 2021 Oscar nominations won’t be announced until mid-March, but Black actors John David Washington, Kingsley Ben-Adir and the late Chadwick Boseman may have a chance to add their name to the very short list.
50 years ago, Blaxploitation was the popular trend for Black films like “Foxy Brown” and “Sparkle,” and while they offered a lot of leading roles to Black actors that had never been there before, it came at the cost of stereotyping and backlash. Representation is still lacking and it’s not often that Black actors are given the chance to take on what Academy voters deem “Oscar-worthy” roles, and if they do, they’re likely to lose or get snubbed of a nomination in the first place.
Yet Black artists across all mediums of entertainment have gained popularity and fame, especially in music. Record producer Quincy Jones holds the record for the most Grammy nominations of all time, Beyoncé is one of the most celebrated and famous music artists of all time and Drake has the most top-10 singles in the history of the US Billboard chart. Yet at the 1971 Grammys, the only Black artist nominated for a major award was Melba Moore, who lost Best New Artist to The Carpenters. 50 years later, there are still cries for snubs and lack of recognition for Black artists, most notably as of late involving the Weeknd, who received zero nominations at this year’s Grammys.
Black artists, shows and films are gaining popularity, but not recognition from the industry and the Academy. When you turn on the TV, you’re likely to see Black actors or switch on a radio station and hear Black artists. It’s well known now that Black artists should receive credit for originating the sounds of rock and roll, and rap is more popular than ever. The influence of Black culture, looks and sounds are widely seen throughout entertainment whether it’s Ariana Grande’s riffing, or even the concept of the show “Friends,” yet there’s still so much that goes unrecognized, unnoticed and uncredited.
In a 2016 Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o was cautious to celebrate diversity in the industry pertaining to the 2016 Tony Awards, which was most known for being the year “Hamilton” broke records and made history.
“When does diversity not become the headline, but the norm?” Nyong’o asked. “We don’t have to talk about it when it’s just the way things are, and that’s a time I’m looking forward to living in.”
In the world of entertainment, whether it’s to celebrate change or to point out where it is lacking, diversity remains in the conversation. It’s important to push for diversity, inclusion and representation in the media and to not just recognize progress, but the work that still needs to be done. This Black History Month, make sure to have conversations about and seek out Black entertainment to honor all of the Black artists that have paved the way for this moment in entertainment; their deserved respect and credit is long overdue.