Last night, the Director’s Guild of America joined list of big Hollywood names in calling out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for its lack of even a single Black member. The statement, which was posted to the DGA’s Facebook page, echoed the call for change that many others have been voicing in recent days.
“HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION,” the post reads, “NOT A SINGLE BLACK MEMBER OUT OF 87. A cosmetic fix isn’t enough. When whole cultures are shut out of the conversation, their art and their voices are shut out as well.”
Big industry names took to social media to voice their frustrations with the HFPA and their lack of Black members, including Ava DuVernay, J.J. Abrams, Courtney Kemp, Olivia Wilde, Jurnee Smollett, Patton Oswalt, Kerry Washington, Sterling K. Brown, Judd Apatow and more. In response to the backlash, the Golden Globes posted a statement from the HFPA to Instagram.
“We are fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, tv, and the artists inspiring and educating them,” the statement reads. “We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”
The caption to the post adds, “We will also address this in our show on Sunday.” The 78th Golden Globes, which will air live on NBC tonight at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST, is being co-hosted by Tina Fey Amy Poehler for the fourth time.
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