âWe must also ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities get a seat at our table, and weâre going to make that happen,â declared Hollywood Foreign Press Association Board Chair Meher Tatna during the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday (February 28). Tatnaâs declaration came during the ceremony after the HFPAâs lack of diversity, specifically the fact that there are no Black members among its ranks, was repeatedly mentioned. The Timeâs Up advocacy organization says the response is not enough.Â
âThe HFPAâs statements tonight and over the last several days indicate a fundamental lack of understanding of the depths of the problems at hand. Your stated version of change is cosmetic ââ find Black people. That is not a solution,â wrote Timeâs Up president and CEO Tina Tchen. âYou must now address the systemic problems within your organization,â she added.Â
A week ahead of the 78th Annual Awards Show, the Los Angeles Times investigated the HFPA, which is responsible for executing the ceremony, and published its findings of several ethical conflicts within the Associationâs 87-member voting board, that does not currently have any Black members.Â
Throughout the show, HFPAâs lack of diversity was brought up, with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler ridiculing the Association at the beginning of the show. Tchenâs statement to the HFPA continued, adding that the situation âcannot be addressed simply by a search for new members,â and long-term solutions would be necessary. âWhat we had hoped you heard was that not having a Black member was a symptom of a problem, not just the problem itself.âÂ
According to the Huffington Post, Timeâs Up didnât stop at calling out HFPA, they reportedly also sent a similar letter to NBCUniversal, which manages the broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards. Tchen wrote that the network âhas a reputational interest in fixing these issues,â adding that âmuch of the credibility of the Golden Globes is drawn from its affiliation with your network.âÂ
âThis goes far beyond the simplistic description we heard tonight of representation and inclusion,â Tchen wrote. âThe awards process must be free from concerns of racism or misogyny and devoid of the stories of rampant discrimination against filmmakers of color and the discomfort of actors who participate in any event.âÂ
Tchen ended each letter with this: âThe Globes are no longer golden,â echoing the voices of several Black leaders in Hollywood like Ava DuVernay, Kerry Washington, Sterling K. Brown, and more who've been calling out the industry's lack of diversity for years.
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