Topic Of The Day: Diversity In The Industry

Hello, Bloggers, welcome to another episode of Topic Of The Day. For today's topic, since the Emmy nominees were just announced, I will use this opportunity to discuss the nature of diversity in the entertainment industry. Here we go:

As a lot of us know, the Oscars received a lot of flack for its lack of diversity among the nominees last year which led to cries of racism and misogyny due to there not being a lot of minority or female-centered films, actors of color, or female directors nominated. But that is mostly because there weren't a lot of minority-centered films in the conversation and the one that was, Selma, peaked too late which may have cost its star, David Oyelowo and director Ava DuVernay a nomination. They did have a female-centered film in the conversation with Gone Girl which was still underrepresented, but that might be because they wanted Gone Girl to stay gone.

However, the Emmy nominees are another reflection of diversity and how, unlike with film, it is starting to shape up in the television industry. Here is a sample of minority performers that were nominated:

Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
David Oyelowo for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series or a Movie
Queen Latifah for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series or a Movie
Anthony Anderson and Don Cheadle for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Angela Bassett, Regina King, and Mo'Nique for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series or a Movie
Andre Braugher, Tituss Burgess, and Keegan-Michael Key for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Key and Peele for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

Also, with shows like Orange Is The New Black, Transparent, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Veep nominated as well as miniseries' and TV films like The Honorable Woman, Bessie and Olive Kitteridge being represented, the Emmys have represented female-centered stories as well as LGBT-centered thanks to Transparent. 

So as we continue to talk about the struggle of diversity in the entertainment industry, the way I see it, we're starting to see more diversity in the field of TV more than film. Fortunately, we have seen a recent onslaught of female-led films being box office powerhouses and in the upcoming awards season, we have female-led (Brooklyn, Joy, Suffragette) and LGBT-centered (The Danish Girl, Freeheld, Carol) films in the conversation. So the film industry might be in a step in the right direction.

Those are my thoughts on the state of diversity in the entertainment industry. Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!