A Step Forward

I want to congratulate the Directors Guild of America for renaming the D.W. Griffith Award (Saturday Letters, Dec. 18). Diversity has proven a difficult and elusive goal to achieve in the entertainment media. Courageous and appropriate steps are necessary for our institutions and organizations to modify their practices to ensure every one of our members and of our audience can share with pride in the recognition of our great accomplishments.

The breakthrough techniques for which Griffith was known were exemplified in his film “Birth of a Nation,” an unabashed endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan. Although he was one of the most significant filmmakers of our time, the film’s views were never repudiated by its creator. We salute Jack Shea and the leadership of the Directors Guild for stepping forward into the new millennium with a sensitivity and a commitment to uniting our community.

MERYL MARSHALL

Chairman of the Board

Chief Executive Officer

Academy of Television Arts

& Sciences, North Hollywood