Hollywood and Representation: An Unfinished Journey To Inclusion

Opinion – UNLV Free Press When actress Viola Davis took the stage prior to winning the Oscar for “Best Supporting Actress,” she seized the opportunity to emphasize the importance of creating dynamic, complex and genuine characterizations of the human experience through film. Davis’ declaration, while poignant and well-articulated, begs the question: Do the film and television industries truly celebrate and illustrate what it means to live a life as an immigrant, person of color, transgender man or woman, etc.?
Despite the progress made after this year’s Academy Award ceremony, film and television industries still have a significant issue when it comes to recognizing and including minorities. Hollywood does not accurately capture the diversity of the American people as it often fails to portray the complex stories of people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other minorities who make up America.
Hollywood’s primary use and recognition of white male performers over performers of color continues the historic cycle of rewarding those in privilege while overlooking performances from minorities. According to a USC study, of the top 100 films of 2014, nearly three-quarters of all characters were white, and only 17 of the top movies that year featured non-white lead or co-lead actors.
After two consecutive years in which no actors of color received Oscar nominations, the hashtag “#OscarsSoWhite” gained traction. People use the hashtag to bring attention to the lack of recognition for people of color at the Oscars. The backlash forced the academy to invite new members, primarily more women and people of color. Before this year, the Academy’s membership was 73 percent male, and 89 percent white.
The 2017 Academy Awards took a positive turn in the right direction by including the most diverse nominee list in history. People of color were represented in all of the acting categories. Three of the nine Best Picture nominees told stories of African-American experiences in the United States, as did 3 ...


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