Canadian academy member raises concerns about Oscars diversity reforms

Despite assurances by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of its plans to put in place an ambitious affirmative action plan, a Los Angeles chapter of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network said they’re moving forward with plans to boycott this year’s Oscars.

Last week the academy announced that from now on, each new member’s voting status will last 10 years, to be renewed if the member is active in the industry during that decade.

Isaacs’ statement comes after Jada Pinkett Smith posted a video online suggesting a boycott of the awards.

While Justice, himself, is not in danger of getting ousted from the Academy (he won an Oscar in 1986 and is therefore assured lifetime voting rights), he does speak up on behalf of all the other voters who are not so lucky and will subsequently be facing expulsion if they do not actively contribute to the industry again soon.

All of these are substantive changes that will open up our governance to a wider range of members and have a significant and positive impact on the Academy. After all, while the actual roster of the Academy’s roughly 6,000 members is not public, the consensus seems to be that the majority of its voters are comprised of … you guessed it: older white males. The same standards will be retroactively applied to current members. They are also apparently going to be putting some limits to the previously life-long voting rights of some of its members.

The Academny’s announcement has raised a huge number of questions and on Monday, managing director of membership Lorenza Munoz addressed the main concerns via the Academy’s FAQs section on its website. It is freaky to assume that, by its voting, each Academy member represents the decisions of studios, networks and talent agencies to produce films.

Along with Boone Isaacs, the Board’s Membership and Administration Committee, chaired by Academy Governor Phil Robinson, led the efforts to enact these initiatives. And by the way, why doesn’t Spike Lee return his honorary Oscar if he’s so incensed?

“My thing with this Oscar thing is, the issue is not the Academy”, said Whoopi Goldberg, an Oscar victor herself for “Ghost” in 1991.