For the second year in a row, the 20 actors who are nominated for Oscars all have the same thing in common: They’re all white. It’s the third time this has happened with President Obama in the White House, and it serves as a very visual reminder of an issue that is plaguing the film industry’s most prestigious accolades – an overwhelming lack of diversity. The Academy does not publicly disclose its membership information, but an often-cited study of the Academy conducted by the Los Angeles Times found that its more than 6,000 voting members were mostly white (93 percent) and male (76 percent) as of 2013.
Diverse industry luminaries like Spike Lee, who was recently honored with an honorary Oscar, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, and more are boycotting this year’s awards in response. You decide: Does Oscar have a diversity problem?
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