Tune In to Hollywood’s Neglect

Civil rights groups have been breathing down the necks of corporations for decades, demanding accountability in minority hiring and promotion practices. While we were busy counting heads and advocating more representation, Hollywood escaped scrutiny.

But its time has come. And the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People’s Image Awards, which celebrate achievement by minorities in the entertainment field, shatters the tired, good-old-boy network excuse: We don’t hire minorities because we can’t find any who are qualified.

When Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reminds us of society’s flagrant and unchallenged arrogance with his statement, reported in the Washington Post, “Show me the wonderful performances that have been overlooked,” we not only can show the performances, but also the performers--both in front of the camera and behind it. For this year’s Image Awards, nearly 200 individuals were nominated for honors. And our production staff is 51% women, 49% men, 63% African American, 20% Latino or Asian and 17% white.

The Fox Network, which will give the awards program its first prime-time airing tonight, deserves tremendous credit for recognizing the market potential of the event and respecting the urgency of inclusion by selecting a black-owned production company with a diverse staff. Fox has shown the rest of the entertainment power structure that an honest integration of talent can only make the end result more successful.

The Image Awards were created 27 years ago as a response to the negative, demeaning stereotypes woven into the fabric of American culture, and as a reaction to being ignored at the Oscars. Today, it’s time to get proactive.

As chairman of this year’s Image Awards, I strongly recommend that the NAACP form an Image Awards academy that would train and place minorities within the entertainment industry. This academy also would monitor hiring and promotion practices throughout Hollywood, to ensure fair representation on and off the set.

The black entertainment community needs us to be vigilant to their concerns all the time, not just when the Oscars approach or when someone slips with a racist remark. Hollywood must make fundamental changes in the way it treats minorities.

We will find ways to boost representation in the unions and negotiate with production crews and studios until all sides are satisfied with the quality and diversity of their employees. We also will strongly encourage support of our black independent producers, such as Black Entertainment Television’s Robert L. Johnson, Don Cornelius, Tim Reid and many others, so they aren’t squeezed out by the bigger players.

Until then, the NAACP is calling for a national “tune in” to the Image Awards tonight, not only to protest the treatment of minorities in Hollywood but also to send a message that the rest of us have no trouble seeing what the Bruce Davises of the world refuse to acknowledge.

Hollywood is so accustomed to making movies that shine a sanctimonious spotlight on other vices in society that it can’t see its own sins. No one has been on the film industry’s case to hold it accountable for the way it treats minority talent. Until now, that is.