Watch Academy President and Springfield native Cheryl Boone Isaacs address #OscarsSoWhite
’’It’s not enough to just listen and agree. We have to take action.’’
and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs called on members of the Academy to help bring about change in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy during a speech at Sunday night’s ceremony.
“It’s not enough to just listen and agree,’’ Isaacs said. “We must take action. While change is often difficult, it is necessary.’’
Isaacs, who is the Academy’s first African-American president, according to The Hollywood Reporter, addressed the controversy in an open letter in January, writing that she was “heartbroken and frustrated’’ by the lack of diversity in the Awards’s nominees.
“The Oscars celebrate the storytellers who have the opportunity to work in the powerful medium of film, and with that opportunity comes responsibility,’’ Isaacs told the audience at the Oscars Sunday night. “Everyone in the Hollywood community has a role to play in bringing about the vital changes the industry needs, so that we can accurately reflect the world today.’’
The Academy recently announced a number of big changes to its membership policies, saying they would double the number of women and diverse voters by 2020 and would limit membership to 10 years if a voter does not remain active in the film industry.
“The Academy Board of Governors recently took concrete action and sent a message that inclusion only serves to make us all stronger,’’ Isaacs said in her speech. “And it’s important that the members of the Academy and everyone in this room help deliver that message.’’
Watch Boone’s full Academy Awards speech below.
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