Film

With a simple tweet, April Reign launched a diversity movement

WAVE NEWSPAPERS — Reign, a writer, editor and a former attorney who frequently tweets about race, politics and pop culture, said she was compelled to tweet in 2015 watching the Academy Awards nominations being announced on national television and being disappointed about the lack of diversity in the nominations. Her tweet #OscarsSoWhite went viral and a movement was underway.

Published

6 years ago

May 24, 2019

posted by Wave Staff

By Wave Staff

EXPOSITION PARK — April Reign didn’t mean to spark a movement.

Reign, a writer, editor and a former attorney who frequently tweets about race, politics and pop culture, said she was compelled to tweet in 2015 watching the Academy Awards nominations being announced on national television and being disappointed about the lack of diversity in the nominations.

Her tweet #OscarsSoWhite went viral and a movement was underway.

“It was supposed to be a runoff hashtag,” she told a capacity crowd May 15 at the California African American Museum. “I was in my living room watching TV and Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor, announced the nominees for the Oscars. I immediately noticed that African Americans were not represented in any of the categories. I tweeted the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and left for work.”

Reign said that hours later, she checked the tweet, curious about the reaction it may have generated and was stunned to find that it had gone viral.

“I thought that the lack of minority candidates for Oscar nominations in 2015 was a fluke,” she recalls, adding that she thought the hashtag would eventually fizzle out. But to Reign’s surprise, #OscarsSoWhite continued to go viral.

Reign said that the following year when people of color again failed to garner nominations, she realized that the exclusion was no fluke. Pausing, she added, “How white was the Oscars? It was snow.”

Reign once again tweeted the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.

“People, especially black people, really caught on as to what was happening,” she said, adding that the tweet once again went viral.

Due to the overwhelming response on social media, Reign made a decision.

“I had to determine if this moment was going to be a movement. I decided to focus a spotlight on the need for equity and diversity,” she said, realizing that systemic change was needed within the entertainment industry.

Since the hashtag went viral in 2015, Reign has lectured at conferences and academic institutions nationally and internationally about the need for inclusion of marginalized groups historically excluded by Hollywood.

“The lack of inclusion isn’t just a race and ethnicity problem, it is also a problem with gender identity, sexual identity and age discrimination,” she said.

“Why don’t we have more black trans women, people with disabilities, gay men and Latinos represented?” she asked, adding, “We have never had a disabled person playing a superhero. Asian and LGBTQ people should raise their voices and speak out about [the lack of] inclusion, as well,” she said.

In 2016, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced that the Academy would diversify the group’s membership by doubling the number of women and people of color within the Academy ranks. That same year, the Academy invited 683 new members to join. Nearly half were women and people of color, the most diverse group the Academy had ever had in its 88-year history.

Although the academy still remains overwhelmingly white and male, Reign, a former editor at BroadwayBlack.com, hopes that it will continue its mission to double the number of women and minorities by 2020.

“The key is to make studio heads understand that the more diverse a project is, the more it will positively affect their bottom line,” she said. “It can’t be like a Band-Aid on a cancer. There is no putting Tussin on it and praying it away. That will not work. They have to make anti-racism part of the agenda every single day.”

The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag ignited globally as well. Producers, moviegoers, actors and activists in Germany, London, South Africa, New Zealand and South America began calling for inclusion and diversity in their own countries.

Reign was invited to attend the 91st Academy Awards earlier this year and despite the fact that movies like “Black Panther” and “Roma” received awards, she still believes that the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag needs to continue.

“Until we are no longer having these conversations about firsts in 2019, and until we see everyone having the opportunity, whether it’s race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or indigenous people in this country, until we all have an opportunity to see ourselves represented on screen, not just during awards season but all year long, I’ll still continue to talk about #OscarsSoWhite,” she told Variety magazine recently.

During the diversity controversy, Reign praised actress Frances McDormand, who publicly announced that she would work to include people of color in front of and behind the camera.

And Reign noted that actors and actresses of color were no longer waiting for Hollywood to offer roles but are taking their careers into their own hands.

“Actors and actresses of color are no longer waiting for a seat at the table. They’re spearheading their own projects and creating content themselves,” Reign said. “Ava DuVernay, Will and Jada Smith, Michael B. Jordan and Issa Rae have all started their own production companies.

“I have made people mad,” Reign said of her inclusion efforts. “There are groups that feel that I am not doing enough or doing it the wrong way. I know that speaking out about marginalization will continue to be an uphill battle.”

Despite her critics, Reign said that the hashtag has generated invitations to speak about diversity and inclusion at conferences and universities around the world, and she added that most of the feedback from the Hollywood community has been positive.

“Arsenio Hall reached out to me. He said, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ And Spike Lee said he believed he would not have received an Oscar if it had not been for the #OscarsSoWhite movement,” Reign said.

“The purpose of this movement is to move the next generation,” Reign said. “Racial diversity and equity may not be solved in a lifetime, but we must take pride in the progress that we have made.”

#OscarsSoWhite was not Reign’s first foray in igniting debate on twitter. She frequently uses her voice and social activism to speak up for causes she strongly believes in.

In 2017, she helped to create the #NoConfederate hashtag as well as the Keep Birth Control Copay Free campaign, a clap back at some of the recent votes to restrict abortion.

In 2014, Reign launched a twitter campaign to protest a celebrity boxing match between rapper DMX and Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman.

The charity event’s proceeds would have gone directly to Trayvon Martin’s family, who adamantly stated that they did not want the money and announced that they would not support the fight.

Reign also thought the fight was a bad idea. She created the #StopTheFight hashtag, which attracted protests and prompted one woman to start an online petition that generated thousands of signatures.

With online outrage continuing to brew over the upcoming fight, Reign received a call from the boxing promoter, who took note of the disapproval on Twitter and officially canceled the much-anticipated match up.

The activist urged audience members not to hesitate to get involved if they are passionate about a certain project or a cause.

“We must find ways to advocate for justice by any means necessary,” she said. “Just be sure to learn your issue backward and forward and you can help to make the world a better place.”

posted by Wave Staff

Posts by posted by Wave Staff

Up Next

Native Chatham resident’s work spans Davis, Wayans and now Spencer

Don't Miss

Actor Bill Duke and Filmmaker William Michael Barbee Attend Didi Hirsch’s 23rd Annual Erasing the Stigma Awards

posted by Wave Staff

Click to comment

Arts and Culture

Paul Robeson: A Voice for the Ages, A Champion for Justice

Robeson first gained widespread recognition on stage and screen, delivering commanding performances that captivated audiences. Yet, it was his voice in concert halls that sealed his legacy. His repertoire was vast, spanning spirituals, classical compositions, global folk traditions, and songs of struggle — music that carried the weight of the oppressed and the hopes of the marginalized.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Paul Robeson. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

Paul Robeson was born April 9, 1898, in Princeton, New Jersey. At 6’ 3”, he was a towering man of intellect, talent, and conviction. Before he became an international icon, he earned his law degree from Columbia University in 1923, supporting himself by teaching Latin and playing professional football on the weekends. But the law would not hold him for long. His voice had other plans.

In 1921, he married Eslanda Goode, a fellow Columbia student and a journalist with her own remarkable intellect and ambition. Their marriage, which lasted over four decades, was a partnership in every sense. Goode became his manager, encouraging him to leave law behind and fully embrace his calling. In 1927, they welcomed their son, Paul Robeson Jr.

By the mid-1920s, Robeson was making waves in theater. He starred in All God’s Chillun Got Wings (1924) and The Emperor Jones (1925). That same year, he made his film debut in Body and Soul, directed by pioneering Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. In 1928, he mesmerized London audiences in Show Boat, where his rendition of Ol’ Man River transformed the song into a powerful anthem of resilience.

Robeson and his family moved to Europe in the late 1920s, and over the next decade, he built an impressive career in both film and music. He starred in Borderline (1930) and later again in the 1933 film adaptation of The Emperor Jones. Over the next few years, he appeared in six British films, including Jericho and Big Fella (both released in 1937). He also starred in the second screen adaptation of Show Boat (1936), alongside Hattie McDaniel and Irene Dunne. However, his final film, Tales of Manhattan (1942), left him deeply disillusioned. He openly criticized its degrading depiction of Black life, signaling his growing commitment to using his platform for activism.

In 1963, after years of political persecution and declining health, Robeson returned to the United States. Following Goode’s death in 1965, he lived quietly with his sister. On January 23, 1976, Robeson passed away from a stroke at the age of 77 in Philadelphia.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Arts and Culture

‘Giants Rising’ Film Screening in Marin City Library

A journey into the heart of America’s most iconic forests, “Giants Rising” tells the epic tale of the coast redwoods — the tallest and among the oldest living beings on Earth. Living links to the past, redwoods hold powers that may play a role in our future, including their ability to withstand fire and capture carbon, to offer clues about longevity, and to enhance our own well-being.

Published

5 months ago

January 5, 2025

Oakland Post

A woman stands amid towering redwood trees in a forest. Photo courtesy of Marin County Free Library.

By Godfrey Lee

The film “Giants Rising” will be screened on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 3-6 p.m. at the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, located 100 Donahue St. in Marin City.

Through the voices of scientists, artists, Native communities, and others, we discover the many connections that sustain these forests and the promise of solutions that will help us all rise up to face the challenges that lay ahead.

The film’s website is www.giantsrising.com. The “Giants Rising” trailer is at https://player.vimeo.com/video/904153467. The registration link to the event is https://marinlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/673de7abb41279410057889e

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Marin City Library and hosted in conjunction with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.

All library events are free. For more information, contact Etienne Douglas at (415) 332-6158 or email etienne.douglas@marincounty.gov. For event-specific information, contact Zaira Sierra at zsierra@parksconservancy.org.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

FILM REVIEW: The Six Triple Eight: Tyler Perry Salutes WWII Black Women Soldiers

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The film features an all-star cast including Susan Sarandon as Eleanor Roosevelt, Sam Waterston as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey as Mary McLeod Bethune and Ebony Obsidian (Sistas, If Beale Street Could Talk)) who shows her acting chops by holding her own playing Lena, a bereaved private, opposite Washington.

Published

5 months ago

December 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Six Triple Eight is now playing on Netflix.

By Nsenga K. Burton
NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor

The Six Triple Eight tells the important yet often overlooked story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-woman unit in World War II. The film chronicles the battalion’s efforts to clear a massive backlog of undelivered mail meant for U.S. troops, a task that was both vital and challenging. In a show-stopping speech atop a mountain of mail, Major Charity Adams, played fiercely by Kerry Washington, explains the importance of mail during wartime and its relationship to soldier morale. Adams, who is continuously denied promotions despite her impeccable professional performance, leads 855 Black women through 17 million pieces of mail in an abandoned, cold and drafty school rife with “vermin” to raise the morale of soldiers and bring closure to families who haven’t heard from loved ones in nearly a year.

The film features an all-star cast, including Susan Sarandon as Eleanor Roosevelt, Sam Waterston as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey as Mary McLeod Bethune, and Ebony Obsidian (Sistas, If Beale Street Could Talk), who shows her acting chops by holding her own playing Lena, a bereaved private, opposite Washington.

Lena is a highly sensitive and intelligent young woman who is distraught over the death of her Jewish “boyfriend,” Abram David (Gregg Sulkin), who is killed in the war. Instead of attending college, Lena enlists in the army to “fight Hitler.” En route to basic training in Georgia, Lena is joined with a group of women in the segregated battalion, all of whom are running away from a traumatic past and running towards a brighter future. What emerges is a strong sisterhood that bonds the women, whether in their barracks or crossing the big pond, which is one of the highlights of the film.

The Six Triple Eight has all of the tropes of a film set during the 1940s, including de facto segregation here and abroad, the mistreatment of Black women in and out of the service by any and everybody, aggressive white men using the N-word with the hard “R,” and older Black women whose hearts are free, but minds are shackled to fear that living in segregation and being subjected to impromptu violence, ridicule, jail or scorn brings to bear.

While the film elevates the untold story of the dynamic, pioneering, and committed Black servicewomen of the Six Triple Eight, the narrative falls prey to Perry’s signature style — heavy-handed dialogue, uneven performances and a redundant script that keeps beating viewers over the head with what many already know as opposed to what we need to know. For example, a short montage of the women working with the mail is usurped by abusive treatment from white, male leaders. A film like this would benefit more from seeing and understanding the dynamism, intelligence and dedication it took for these women to develop and implement a strategy to get this volume of mail to the soldiers and their families.

In another scene, the 6888 soldiers yell out their prior professions, which would prove helpful to keeping their assignment when they come under attack again from the white military men. Visually seeing the Black women demonstrate their talents would be far more satisfying than hearing them ticked off like a grocery list, which undermines the significance of their work and preparation for war as Black women during this harrowing time in history. The lack of emphasis on their skills and capabilities diminishes the overall impact of their story, leaving viewers wanting more depth and insight into their achievements.

While the film highlights the struggles these women faced against institutional racism and sexism, it ultimately falls short in delivering a nuanced portrayal of their significant contributions to the war effort. This is a must-see film because of the subject matter and strong performances by Washington and Obsidian, but the story’s execution makes it difficult to get through.

Tyler Perry is beloved as a filmmaker because he sometimes makes films that people need to see at a particular moment in time (For Colored Girls), resuscitates or helps to keep the careers of super accomplished actors alive (Debi Morgan, Alfre Woodward, Cicely Tyson) and gives young, talented actors like Obsidian, Taylor Polidore Williams (Beauty in Black, Snowfall, All-American HBCU) and Crystal Renee Hayslett (Zatima) a chance to play a lead role when mainstream Hollywood is taking too long. One thing Perry hasn’t done is extend that generosity of spirit to the same extent to the writing and directing categories. Debbie Allen choreographed the march scene for Six Triple Eight. What might this film have been had she directed the film?

This much-anticipated film is a love letter to Black servicewomen and a movie that audiences need to see now that would benefit immensely from stronger writing and direction. Six Triple Eight is a commendable effort to elevate an untold story, but it ultimately leaves viewers craving a more nuanced exploration of the remarkable women at its center.

Six Triple Eight is now playing on Netflix.

This review was written by media critic Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., editor-at-large for NNPA/Black Press USA and editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on IG @TheBurtonWire.