Exclusive:
Bringing Awareness to the Lack of Diversity in Hollywood At This Year’s Oscars®
Los Angeles, CA — Actress/Producer Eva Longoria and other prominent Latinos will launch The Brown Ribbon Campaign asking attendees of this year’s Oscars® telecast to wear brown ribbons to bring awareness to the lack of Latino representation in Academy membership and in the entertainment industry overall. Most people see diversity as a black/white issue, however, Latinos, who are 25% of all U.S. movie ticket buyers, have long been virtually shut out of major roles in movies as well as decision-making positions in Hollywood. The campaign asks supporters to tweet their support during the Oscars telecast using hashtags: #HollywoodBrownout #BrownRibbonCampaign. The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) has agreed to promote and feature brown ribbons at its annual Impact Awards Gala on February 26.
“I can’t wait for the day when “diversity” isn’t just the hot topic of the moment, but a true reality that is reflected on screen,” says Eva Longoria. “The change is coming and I am happy to be a part of it.”
Although there are Latinos represented at this year’s Oscars, Hollywood’s lack of diversity is a deeper, more endemic problem. According to the 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report published by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, white males continue to dominate the landscape in Hollywood: Film studio heads were 94% white and 100% male; TV network and studio heads were 96% white and 71% male.
Other Latinos in entertainment and advocacy are adding their voice to Longoria’s, in urging the Hollywood industry to make a concerted effort to hire Latinos at every level: From actors to directors and creatives to TV show-runners, studio executives and talent agents.
Alex Nogales, CEO & President, NHMC (National Hispanic Media Coalition): “The Film Studios need to accept the reality that people of color are almost 40% of the U.S. population and that Latinos specifically watch more films than any other group. We can not be locked out of the jobs that shape our culture when we are so many, consume so much, and have the talent and expertise to be part and parcel of the industry. To deny us entry is bigoted and short sighted.”
Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund): “The entertainment industry has much work to be done when it comes to accurately reflecting our diverse society. One area that has received far too little attention is the near-total exclusion of the nation’s largest minority group, Latinos. The brown-ribbon campaign brings attention to an inexplicably neglected issue in Hollywood.”
Dr. Alma Martinez, Actors Branch, AMPAS: “I stand in unity with our African-American colleagues as we voice our outrage at the lack of representation in this years’ nominations, and in the industry as a whole. The erasure of people of color in the media has gone on for too long, and it’s up to us, regardless of ethnicity or race, to take the lead in creating this change.”
Latinos make up 17% of the total U.S. population but 32% of frequent moviegoers, and yet, few Latino-centric films are released by major studios. Only 4.9% of speaking roles in films go to Latino actors. 4.1% of all directors, 1.1% of producers and 2% of writers are Latino. In terms of media images, Latinas are portrayed as “hot” and partially dressed 37.5% of the time and Latinos are linked to crime 17.7% of the time in film and 24.2% on television.
One of the attendees who will be wearing the Brown Ribbon at the Oscars on Sunday is David Damien Figueroa, long time community activist. When others have chosen to boycott the Oscars, more specifically some high profile African Americans, we asked Figueroa about attending the Oscars this year. “We can be more effective inside the Oscars than out,” he told us. “The brown ribbon is subtle, but other attendees will ask what it represents. This gives us a great opportunity to talk about the issue with decision makers in the film industry.”
Comments