Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative launched a website called The Inclusion List. Supported by the Adobe Foundation, the research effort tracks and celebrates advances in the entertainment industry and the impact of the #OscarsSoWhite movement that April Reign started eight years ago.
The entry list focuses on the Academy Awards and shows the changes that have occurred in the history of the ceremonies from 1929 to today. The site lists nominations for women and people of color in 19 categories. Visitors will also have the opportunity to vote and guess who they think will win the Oscar at this year’s gala on March 12.
“When April Reign sparked #OscarsSoWhite, she capitalized on a collective desire for change and people’s outrage to see actors of color once again disqualified from this career-defining award,” said Dr. smid “This comprehensive look at the Oscars shows that exclusion was normative for many years and continues to be the case in many categories. But it also shows that there is power in collective action and that the years since #OscarsSoWhite look nothing like the years before through energy.”
Information on each category is presented in terms of the overall percentage of nominees and winners who were women and people of color, including an intersectional view of women of color.
For example, 17% of all Oscar nominees from 1929-2023 were women, while only 6% were black and less than 2% of nominees were black women. Winning percentages were comparable to nominated percentages. Only 16% of all Oscar winners were women, 6% black and only 2% black.
When the research team narrowed their focus to the eight years before and after the #OscarsSoWhite movement, they found that between 2008 and 2015, only 8% of nominees came from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. Between 2016 and 2023, however, this number rose to 17%. Even among female nominees, the percentage increased from 21% to 27% over the same period.
Site users can examine exactly where changes are still needed by reading data points on each category. Each category includes details of the first woman, woman of color and person of color nominated, as well as the first winner of the award. The site also highlights important facts about communities of color at the Oscars.
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
