Maybe #OscarsSoWhite won't trend for a third year in a row. More than 600 new voting members, many of them artists of color, have been added to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' roster.
"We're proud to welcome these new members to the Academy, and know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation, a mission and not just a membership," Academy president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, said in a statement.
New members include Ice Cube, whose "Straight Outta Compton" was among the projects and casts seen as snubbed last go-round; Tessa Thompson and her "Creed" co-star Michael B. Jordan (Sylvester Stallone won a best-supporting Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Creed"); Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed James Brown in "Get On Up" and is set to star in a future Marvel movie, "Black Panther;" Vivica A. Fox, Gabrielle Union, Anika Noni Rose, Damon Wayans, Jr., Mahershala Ali, Anthony Anderson, Loretta Devine and John Boyega.
Nearly half of the members invited to join this year are women.
Some members, like Ice Cube and Keenan Ivory Wayans, have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches, like the Actors and Writers branches and the Directors and Writers branches, respectively.
If they accept membership, they will need to select a branch to join.
The new roster comes months after some black actors boycotted the 2016 Oscars in response to the lack of diversity among nominees.
"This class continues our long-term commitment to welcoming extraordinary talent reflective of those working in film today," Boone Isaacs said. "We encourage the larger creative community to open its doors wider, and create opportunities for anyone interested in working in this incredible and storied industry."
The full list of The Academy Class of 2016 can be seen at the Oscars website.
About the Author
