The Rev. Al Sharpton led a rally Sunday afternoon around the corner from Hollywood’s Dolby Theater to protest the lack of diversity among this year’s Academy Award nominees.
Joined by members of his National Action Network (NAN) advocacy group bearing signs reading “Shame on you” and “Boycott #OscarsSoWhite,” Sharpton spoke briefly to several dozen demonstrators, telling the entertainment industry it is “out of time” to address its “systemic” diversity problem.
“This year, you had Straight Outta Compton. This year, you had Beasts of No Nation. This year, you had the Will Smith movie, Concussion. None of them are even considered for a top award,” Sharpton said. “We’re not saying who must win, but if you’ve been locked out of the process, then you are dealing with a systemic problem of exclusion.”
“We are not going to allow the Oscars to continue,” he added. “This will be the last night of an all-white Oscars. We intend to go to advertisers, we intend to mobilize all over the country. This is an insult to Americans of all races.”
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