inclusion
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Ava DuVernay Introduces Diverse Database 'Array Crew'—We Better Not Hear Anymore Excuses, Hollywood
Far too often, Black and other Film/TV crew members of color often hear a variation on trite excuse, “We keep hiring this white person because there aren’t a lot of [insert specific POC identifier here] directors, producers, cinematographers, production designers, costume designers, editors, etc.!” It’s a lie. It’s not that they don’t exist; it’s that…
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Disney+ Disclaimer Gets Update Above Bare Necessity
Given the increased sensitivity in today’s social and racial climate, Disney has now provided an update to its original disclaimer on a handful of its animated films. If you remember, back when the studio initially announced its new streaming platform, Disney+, the company made it very clear that there were going to be some major…
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Recording Academy Announces Black Leadership Council to Amplify Black Voices
Imagine a Grammy-based Guardians of the Galaxy elite force of equity and inclusion heroes, whose mission is to make sure Black voices are amplified… Well, the Recording Academy has announced something like that, revealing its Black Leadership Council on Thursday. As part of its newly launched Black Music Collective, the council will be “dedicated to…
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How Much Can a Movie Studio Lose With Non-Diverse Projects? Up to $130 Million per Film, New Study Confirms
Hey, guess what, y’all? We have yet another reason to believe Hollywood is so inherently racist it even goes against its own best interests to uphold the white supremacist structure! Oh, wait—that’s all of America! Anyway. According to a recent UCLA report (via the institution’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers) titled, “Beyond Checking A Box:…
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Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Is a Masterclass in Diversity and Inclusion
If quarantine hasn’t stolen your awareness of time and space and you’ve socially distanced from blocking your blessings, you’ll know that today is October 2, the day we’ve all been waiting for: Robyn Rihanna Fenty’s annual Savage X Fenty show! The show is streaming as we speak on Amazon Prime and is guaranteed to make…
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Academy Dialogues Exclusive Clip: Gina Prince Bythewood Recalls the 1st Time She Saw Herself Onscreen
As part of its Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently launched a virtual panel series called Academy Dialogues: It Starts With Us, designed to open up discussions on race and gender equity in filmmaking. For the next panel, The Academy partnered up with ICON MANN (a media and…
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Issa Rae Doesn't Want to Be Hollywood's 'Tokenized Person' for Diversity Hiring Practices
In Hollywood, one of the most notable things to have come out of the pandemic (other than a severe pivot from how film and television sets used to function) is a conversation about the industry’s “reckoning” on how it has treated the Black creators who work within it. On the surface, Hollywood gatekeepers are being…
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Want a Best Picture Oscar Nomination in 2024? The Academy Requires You to Step Up Your Inclusion Game
The Academy is changing—and we don’t just mean its members. As part of its Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that it will be enacting new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility in the Best Picture category. That’s right, if you want the biggest and…
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The Academy Launches New Series to Discuss Race and Gender Equity in Filmmaking
Since the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others this year, so much has materialized, including a “racial reckoning” of sorts. Large companies and gatekeepers across a myriad of industries have continuously been held accountable for their past and current transgressions in a very loud and public way. It’s clear: The people need…
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'You're Not Actually Anti-Racist': Jurnee Smollett Checks the Hypocrisy of Hollywood Liberalism
Jurnee Smollett is starring in quite a timely upcoming project on HBO—the much-anticipated Lovecraft Country. The series, which is a period piece, is especially relevant since we’re following its protagonists on the “quest to disrupt white supremacy,” which is both intriguing and frustrating. We’re still fighting this damn fight. Still. The series synopsis, via HBO’s…