#OscarsSoWhite protests lack of diversity, spurs change

When the 2016 Oscar nominations were announced almost two weeks ago the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite resurfaced for the second consecutive year because all of the nominees in the major categories were white.

The hashtag trended nationally as African-Americans and others lamented the fact that actors, directors and writers of color were not recognized for their work for the second consecutive year. Celebrities including Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith called for a boycott. 

Others highlighted the fact that the voting Academy is 94 percent white, 76 percent male and the average age of voters is 63. After the #OscarsSoWhite protest Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is black, said the Academy would change its membership recruitment to increase diversity.  

It seems that the conversation that #OscarsSoWhite started which noted the lack of diversity in Hollywood sparked change within the Academy an in the entertainment industry.

The latest cover of Variety, one of the oldest and most respected Hollywood trade magazines, addressed the #OscarsSoWhite controversy with a pretty compelling cover of the latest issue of the magazine which features the Oscar in white instead of gold and the coverline "SHAME ON US."