The 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards have come and gone, but the frustration surrounding lack of inclusion and diversity still hangs thickly in the aftermath. Indeed, there’s always something to get upset about when finding oneself sitting within a circumstance that refuses to acknowledge the contributions of your ilk in a particular field.
The fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hasn’t had a Black member in over 20 years is largely lost on mainstream onlookers, who see more black and brown faces being celebrated and rewarded now than almost any other time in history.
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If you were watching the Golden Globe Awards for the very first time and saw Andra Day win Best Actress in a Dramatic Series for “The United States vs. Billy Holiday”, Daniel Kaluuya’s win in the Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his moving portrayal of Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah” and John Boyega for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, you wouldn’t immediately believe there was a problem with diversity.
“Soul” won for Best Animated Motion Picture, and also got Black co-director Kemp Powers and co-composer Jon Batiste globes for their efforts.
Indeed, throw in the posthumous award bestowed upon Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor in a Dramatic Film in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, accepted on his behalf by widow Taylor Simone Ledward and director Chloé Zhao’s win for Best Director, the first by an Asian woman and only the second woman to win the award in 78 years, and you just might think it was one big ol’ rainbow-colored revelation.
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But none of that would be true. Looks are often deceiving. But you can’t pour syrup on sh*t and call it organic chocolate waffles. It’s sh*t, was sh*t and will continue to be sh*t.
“The HFPA is made up of about 90 international—no Black—journalists,” director, producer and comedic actress Tina Fey quipped during the show’s opening monologue.
“This is something we probably should have told you earlier, everyone is understandably upset at the HFPA and their choices,” she said. “A lot of flashy garbage got nominated. But that happens, that’s, like, their thing. A number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”
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“Inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the HFPA. I realize you didn’t get the memo, HFPA, because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s, but you gotta change that,” she continued.
This is the first time that three Black actors were awarded in the film categories at the Golden Globe Awards since 2007. The roller coaster of progress continues until we can get some Black faces in control.
