We must stand in our power!

Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, 18 January 2016

One thing that was noticed after the Academy Awards nominations were announced last Thursday is that only white actors were nominated this year. Al Sharpton, Straight Outta Compton executive producer Will Packer and Chris Rock, who is hosting the Oscars on February 28th, were all quick to call out the lack of diversity. Filmmaker Spike Lee, who was awarded an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November, said that while he appreciated that recognition, he and his wife “cannot support” this year’s Academy Awards.

And Jada Pinkett Smith posted the above Facebook post where she says she’s now boycotting the Oscars and encourages other people to do the same. It’s had over 8 million views.

But one person that doesn’t agree is actress Janet Hubert, the original ‘Aunt Viv’ on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.

https://youtu.be/N9eY-kKXBnQ

“”I find it ironic that somebody who has made their living and has made millions and millions of dollars from the very people that you’re talking about boycotting just because you didn’t get a nomination, just because you didn’t win?” said Hubert. That’s not the way life works, baby.”

On Monday, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, issued a lengthy statement on the subject, saying she was both “heartbroken” and “frustrated” and promised big changes. “The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership,” she said in the statement. “In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.”