Many upset at lack of diversity in 2016 Oscar nominations
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES -- The Oscar nominations revealed Thursday morning are being criticized by civil rights activists for their lack of diversity.
All 20 nominees for best actor and actress, and in the supporting acting categories, were white.
"Everybody wants to see some representation of who they are, what they do, what their life is about, and this year we had a good amount of films that really represented that and I am rather disappointed that we did not see them here at the Oscars for nominations this morning," Tanya Hart with American Urban Radio Networks said.
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Many critics were also upset that the critically-acclaimed film "Straight Outta Compton" didn't receive any major nominations.
The bio-epic about the rap group N.W.A. did receive one nomination for best screenplay, and that was on behalf of two Caucasian writers.
"I do wonder if enough of them saw 'Straight Outta Compton,' because I talked to a couple people who said, 'that's not my kind of music,' and I said, 'you know this isn't a music video," Awards Editor for Variety Tim Gray said.
On Thursday, Gray wrote about the issue of diversity at the Oscars and said he doesn't believe the Academy is racist, but said change comes very slowly.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the President of the Academy, admitted she is disappointed in the lack of diversity and stressed that the Academy is pushing for change.
"We are working inside the Academy in order to make sure we have inclusion," Isaacs, said. "What is important is for all of us to include stories about peoples from America, from around the world."
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