Dem Rep. Sends Letter to Oscars to Express ‘Shock at the Lack of Diversity’

A Democratic member of Congress sent a letter to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (CC’ing lots of other Hollywood people too) decrying the lack of diversity in the industry’s upcoming celebration. Congressman Tony Càrdenas expressed “shock at the lack of diversity in this year’s Oscars nominees.”

In the full letter, posted by Deadline, Càrdenas writes, “While the issue of diversity in the entertainment industry is a much deeper problem, without an easy solution, it is unfortunate to see such a revered American institution fail to fully reflect our nation.”

He says he wants to hear from Hollywood on how it plans to bolster diversity in talent, and even offering, “I would like to meet with you to begin a dialogue on how to build a more diverse entertainment industry to better represent the diversity of our nation and the world.”

When the Oscar nominees were announced, many people noticed how white the list was and were upset at how Selma, a critically-acclaimed film about the civil rights movement, was overlooked for Best Director (Ava DuVernay) and Best Actor (David Oyelowo).

You can read his full letter here.

[image via Joe Seer/Shutterstock]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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