The #OscarsSoWhite dialogue that has swirled on social media and in Hollywood in recent weeks has officially reached Congress, and Rep. Hank Johnson is putting himself square in the center of it.
The Lithonia Democrat on Wednesday teamed up with John Conyers, Jr., D-Mich., the House’s longest-serving member and a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, to push for more diversity in the film industry.
In their capacity as senior members of the House Judiciary Committee, the pair sent a letter to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs inviting her to meet with them to discuss how the organization can promote racial and gender diversity on screen.
“The motion picture industry has long been a crucial ally in the fight for justice, telling the stories that help us to see one another in a different light. We believe Hollywood should be on the leading edge of inclusion, and the Academy, by recognizing excellence from all viewpoints, can help achieve that goal,” the letter stated.
Several prominent celebrities, including Spike Lee, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, say they are boycotting the Oscars later this month because for the second year in a row all the nominees in the four major acting categories are white.
The Academy’s governing board has vowed to double female and minority members by the end of the decade, among other changes. Johnson and Conyers said they want to ensure “that this is not a false step.”
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