NEW YORK, NY – Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, issued the following statement in response to 90th Academy Awards.

Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of Color Of Change:

“It’s promising to see the Academy honor brilliant Black creatives like Jordan Peele, but greater recognition for Black film professionals and artists of color is long overdue. While it’s been a remarkable year for Black people in film and television, we’ll know that Hollywood has achieved meaningful progress towards inclusion when it’s no longer noteworthy to see the Academy honor women of color or studios greenlight Black or brown-centered films.

“People of color have long been the creative forces behind some of Hollywood’s most original films while receiving little recognition from the industry and few opportunities to shape the stories the industry tells about our communities, especially for women of color. That systemic exclusion is why the stories the industry tells about Black people too often advance harmful stereotypes and create a more hostile world for Black people in real life. But, when we are given the opportunities and resources to tell our own stories through films like Get Out and Mudbound, it has the power to reshape public perceptions and cultural norms in our country.

“Real inclusion of Black people in Hollywood will require significant investments from decision makers across the industry to create new incentive systems for greater inclusion and representation of Black people. But that change is desperately needed, and the incredible success of Black writers, directors, and performers at the box office this year is undeniable proof that audiences want more stories by and about Black people.”

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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over one million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org/.