www.theroot.com: When writer/director Jordan Peele won his best original screenplay Oscar for 2017's biggest hit Get Out, I cheered. When cast members of 2018's biggest hit so far, Marvel’s Black Panther, walked the red carpet at the 90th Academy Awards, I swooned. And when I looked out at the sea of (mostly) white people attending the Oscars I wondered, did Hollywood learn anything over the past year?
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I sure hope that Hollywood learned their lesson this year with the Oscars. Yes, none of the actors that won were people of color, but this may be one of the only years that I think that it came out out the way it is supposed to happen. This article focus' a lot on the gross outcome of films like Black Panther and Get Out, but the thing that Hollywood filmmakers should be taking from this sin't just that people of color can bring in just as much money and even more, but also that the stories are becoming more valid day by day. Stories of African American oppression, objectification, and pride have become a norm and that is working out for the better. This year's Oscars handled these head on, they highlighted immigrants, women, and people of color in a way that I've never seen on the Oscar stage before. I hope to see tradition continue to break when it comes to these awards, even if that means a current swamp drainage of all the issues and people who make Hollywood toxic.
I think Hollywood is finally realizing that diversity in films will bring them much more revenue than all white male films will. I think that the release of Black Panther and the many other more diversely cast films in the past year are giving Hollywood the reality check it needs. Hollywood does not have to continue feeling us Ryan Gosling to get us to come back to the movies. Give me Idris Elba as James Bond already! I want to see incredible films with unfamiliar faces that I might not relate to from the get go, but I can leave a movie knowing we are the same blood and bones. I also agree with another aspect of this article; it is not easy to be successful within the film and television industry. Winning these awards is a great honor and I do believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity environment to showcase their talent. People like Jordan Peele and Ava Duvernay are making way for a younger inspired diverse generation of talent to emerge and prove what we all know - diversity sells and we should be proud of that.
This article provides another interesting insight into the idea of taking what may only be baby steps toward more inclusion and recognition highlighted in this year's 90th Annual Academy Awards. The connection between making money and being viewed as revered enough to win big industry awards is an interesting one. I never gave any particular thought to the idea that movies that make big numbers at the box office are usually not the ones we see throughout awards shows, but that does not necessarily mean that they are not worth our time and deeper consideration. With movies like Get Out, Wonder Woman, and Black Panther, we see more "big number" movies telling us stories that are more socially meaningful than ever before. Hopefully, in the future, we start to see more recognition and inclusion of all movies that tell us deep and meaningful lessons of humanity and equality, no matter what money they make for the industry.
This article captures it extremely well. Creators like Jordan Peele and Ryan Coogler make work that addresses the black experience in new and exciting ways. I know that I am personally moved and entertained by both of their work. Their work feels genuine and understanding to me. There is a shared sense of self and community that I felt watching Black Panther and Get Out. I was more willing to pay money to see these movies because I knew I would find myself somewhere in them. When we support diverse creators we get more people to invest more money into the arts. Imagine this diversity spreading to all ethnic groups within the US and allowing people to see themselves on screen. The only way that we can get to that day is if we support and uplift black creators who will in turn promote more diversity. The Oscar's don't necessarily mean space for us, which means we have to make our own spaces.
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