Jada Pinkett To Boycott Oscars Because The Nominees Are Mostly White

January 19, 2016

1 minute read

Film director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith have said they will not attend next month’s Oscars ceremony because of the mostly white nominees. Jada Pinkett Smith said in a video message on Facebook that she would not be attending the awards ceremony. She and Lee made their announcement on Martin Luther King Jr Day, a national holiday in the US to remember the civil rights leader.

Among those overlooked were the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton for best picture and Will Smith for best actor in NFL film Concussion. His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith said: “Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people and we are powerful.”

Last year, there were similar calls to boycott the Oscars ceremony but Lee and Pinkett Smith are the first high-profile figures to carry out the threat. We hope this gets rectified as there is so much talent in the black community.