And The Winner Is: Diversity Within The Gold Standard
Billy Porter of Emmy Nominated Series Pose
The Emmy’s have announced their 2020 nominations. Coming off of one of the most diverse award seasons ever in 2019, the current list of actors, actresses, and productions up for the award fell a little short of expectations. Although there is a huge breakthrough for the LGBTQ community with the nominations of Queer Eye, Pose, and the actor Billy Porter the number of nominations for people of color dropped significantly and circle around the same handful of social-issue driven shows. With a television season including shows such as Queen Sugar, Superstore, Fresh Off the Boat, Shrill, Greenleaf,and so many more, how could there be a whole category (Comedy) with zero nominations for people of color? Could entertainment focusing on the POC voice really fall so short from the “Gold Standard,” or is there something more at play?
As with any field, being recognized for your work is a huge accomplishment, as it says that you have met a standard of artistry only a few obtain. It’s only fitting that what has come to be the gold standard for Hollywood began with the little gold man. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science began awarding their Oscars in 1929 and have awarded a whopping 900 since. Only 120 of the awards have gone to people of color, with the first being won by Hattie McDonald for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. She, ironically, integrated the award show by accepting her award in a separate segregated theater. Sidney Poitier was the first black winner of the Best Actor category, won in 1963 for Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner, and it took 72 years for the first black woman, Halle Berry, to win the honor of Best Actress. Latinx only account for 5 actor wins with Jose Ferrer being the first to win at the Academy in 1950 and Rita Moreno the first Latin woman to win for West Side Story. Three winners of acting categories have been of Asian descent: Miyoshi Umeki (Supporting Actress, Sayonara, 1958 ), Sir Ben Kingsley (Best Actor, Gandhi, 1983) and Haing S. Ngor (Best Supporting Actor, The Killing Fields,1984) . Cherokee-Irish actor Ben Johnson is the only indigenous winner of an acting category and Remi Malek became the first Arab winner ever this past year. The Emmy’s, Golden Globes, Tony’s and Sags aren’t much different when it comes to racial representation.
Rita Moreno, Suzie Kaye, and Yvonne Wilder in West Side Story (1961)
It is true that not every actor, film, show, or production with a racially diverse cast should automatically be considered award-worthy. It does become a problem when some of the most critically acclaimed entertainment over the years have been left out. With infamous snubs such as Selma, Desi Arnz (I Love Lucy), Samuel L. Jackson (In Anything), Do The Right Thing, Narco sand Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), it’s hard not to feel a certain amount of prejudice is directed towards a certain type of work. However, with the start of the 2016 movement #OscarsSoWhite, the backlash on Hollywood’s most revered award shows took off and now some say the awards are losing their shine. But really can something held as the Gold Standard for almost the entirety of the entertainment industry suddenly lose its value?
Those who self-nominate for the awards don’t believe so. Recently, a few Game of Thrones actors stirred up some attention when they self-nominated for the Emmy’s and received a confirmed nomination. Many might not even be aware that self-nomination is an option, but it is. Typically, the network or production company submits actors, production teams, and films/shows to be nominated, paying a fee and sending a list of work as to why the party should be included. Where it is common to self-submit, it isn’t so common to actually get chosen to be one of the final five in the category, a testament to any who argue people of color should just submit themselves. However, the act of these show juggernauts proves that despite rising frustration, everyone still wants to sit at the cool kids’ table. Winning an award often elevates an actor’s career and cements their legacy moving forward. Keeping this in mind many groups have begun their own award shows to bridge the gap from mainstream representation.
The BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, ALMA Awards, and Unforgettable Gala Awards are just a few shows that look to balance the lack of representation seen in mainstream award shows. Hoping to make the minority the majority, these awards have honored performers and productions such as Deborah Chow, Michael B Jordan, Zoe Saldana, Black Panther, and Girl in Progress. These shows give POC’s a chance to win not because they aren’t competing with white actors in talent, but because they aren’t competing in visibility. With the Academy, for example, being comprised of an overwhelming amount of white, male viewers, it’s not hard to see why the winners in the past have won. Green Book’s controversial win exemplifies that perfectly, as the film was in the same category with box office hit Black Panther and critically acclaimed BlacKKKlansman. However, the night ended in a confusing note when the film which told a black man’s story through a white man’s perspective took home the best picture category. To top it all off, the winning film was produced by an all-white team. The Academy boasted about their act of inclusion, while critics quickly noted that the voting body had missed the mark.
With a new award season looming, the industry seems to be holding their breath as nominations start rolling in. The looming racial tension involving the inclusion of people of color is heavy and despite having great strides in the right direction, it appears Hollywood still has a long way to go.
