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PEOPLE & ARTSFriday 5 February 2016
Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition
wants full Hollywood diversity
In this Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 Hispanic Media Coalition, other. Instead, they said,
file photo, Taye Diggs, left, agreed. the pressure is on the indus-
presents Viola Davis with the The Oscars and other try to expand opportunities
award for outstanding fe- awards “are the last in for all.
male actor in a drama series the line of this whole thing The NAACP has committed
for “How to Get Away with called show business. The its support to the new initia-
Murder” at the 22nd annual real culprits are at the very tive but was unable to take
Screen Actors Guild Awards top, with the film studios part in its announcement
at the Shrine Auditorium & first and foremost,” No- because of other com-
Expo Hall in Los Angeles. gales said. The battle isn’t mitments, the coalition
the same for every ethnic said. The black civil rights
Associated Press group. group did not immediately
While all minorities struggle respond to a request for
LYNN ELBER to gain a foothold in films, comment.
AP Television Writer it’s non-blacks who face There’s much work to do,
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Orga- the stiffest challenge. Last Mayeda said, given how
nizations representing His- Saturday’s Screen Actors stubbornly the industry
panics, Asian-Americans Guild Awards offered a clings to tired practices. He
and Native Americans, dramatic illustration: There cited minority characters
who joined with the NAACP were a number of minority that were either played
in 2000 to increase minority winners, including Idris Elba, by white actors — Emma
hiring in the TV industry, are Uzo Aduba, Queen Latifah Stone as an Asian-Ameri-
broadening their focus to and Viola Davis, all of them can in “Aloha,” Ben Affleck
the big screen. black. as a Hispanic in “Argo” —
The Multi-Ethnic Media Co- “Ladies and gentlemen, or ethnic roles that were re-
welcome to diverse TV,” written to accommodate
alition called Thursday on Elba, who won two tro- white actors.
Sony, Warner Bros., Fox, phies, said onstage. Studios ultimately must
Universal, Paramount and Mayeda called their rec- change as America does
Disney to enter discussions ognition “fantastic,” but or lose out, Mayeda said.
aimed at bringing full diver- said the diversity discussion The country’s demograph-
sity to on- and off-camera has become “a little bina- ic shift to a non-white ma-
jobs, including the execu- ry, a little black and white.” jority is predicted within
tive ranks. Don Cheadle made a simi- three decades.
The uproar over this year’s lar point during a recent “This is not affirmative ac-
all-white cast of Academy interview with The Associ- tion. We’re talking about
Award acting nominees ated Press. how you make more mon-
helped set the stage for “Diverse doesn’t just mean ey. More people would
the new effort, coalition more black people,” he buy tickets if you featured
leaders said. Latino repre- said during the Sundance people who look like us or
sentation in the nominees Film Festival last month. reflect modern society,” he
was only behind the cam- “Diverse means more rep- said. Coalition leaders said
era, led by the Mexican resentation from the en- they are heartened by TV’s
filmmakers of “The Rev- tire diaspora of what the increased diversity, from
enant”: director Alejandro United States has to offer, shows that feature minority
Inarritu and cinematogra- not just one particular mi- casts (“black-ish,” ‘’Jane
pher Emmanuel Lubezki. nority group.” Nogales also the Virgin,” ‘’Fresh Off the
“Now is the time, while lauded the winners. But he Boat”) to more non-white
there’s a lot of attention chides those who claim writers and directors. But
focused on this,” said Dan- such instances represent there is inequality: Three
iel Mayeda, co-chair of progress for minorities in of the four major networks
the Asian Pacific Ameri- general, rather than one have a higher percent-
can Media Coalition, one group in particular. age of blacks in prime-time
of the umbrella group’s “When I hear ‘people of shows than exist in the gen-
members. color’ it angers me, be- eral population, while all
While the movie academy cause when I look at who other minorities are under-
hastily adopted new rules they’re talking about, it’s represented to varying de-
aimed at breaking up fu- African-Americans,” he grees, The Associated Press
ture white monopolies for said. “C’mon, guys, let’s be reported last year.
the Oscars, the studios and real here. African-Ameri- The coalition is calling on
their hiring practices are cans are doing much bet- studios to do with films what
the root of the problem, he ter than any other minority the group has pressed
said. in front of and in back of them to do for TV, including
“We can have the most the camera.” tracking minority employ-
diverse set of awards vot- Neither he nor Mayeda ment and implementing
ers, but we’re not going cast the demand for more or expanding “pipeline”
to have any nominations inclusiveness as a zero-sum programs to develop mi-
or wins for people of col- game that risks pitting one nority writers, directors and
or if there are no roles,” minority group against an- others.q
Mayeda said.
Alex Nogales, president
and CEO of the National
