Actor Urges Emmy Voters to Nominate Non-White Artists

(ProsperNews.net) – Actor John Leguizamo has released a New York Times ad urging Emmy Award panel members to vote for non-white artists. He said white people are 58.9% of the population yet are overrepresented at the top of several industries, including Hollywood. Leguizamo said America is better off when it is “inclusive” before adding that he is still “woke” and copying his message to several high-profile stars, including Whoopi Goldberg and Shaquille O’Neal.

The Colombian actor has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows and enjoyed a hugely successful career in the US. Nevertheless, he says non-white performers are disadvantaged and calls for artists of color to be represented across all categories in award shows.

Emmy Award winners are determined by the votes of over 23,000 academy members, with specialist expertise across 16 different entertainment categories. To become a voting member, an individual must pay an annual fee and prove at least two years’ experience working in the relevant arena.

The Television Academy, which organizes the Emmys, says on its website that it will “endeavor to keep growing towards a more inclusive, accessible and authentically representative future” and launched an “inclusion assessment” survey in 2021. The following year, however, the Academy reported opposition to emulating the Oscars and centering diversity in its awards decisions. Just 28% of the Academy’s members engaged with the survey, and while their opinions were not shared, the survey company indicated “backlash and resistance.”

The Academy Awards of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, known as the Oscars, has introduced strict diversity criteria that films must meet to be considered for an award. The Oscars’ Representation and Inclusion Standards require at least one of the film’s lead actors to be from an ethnic minority group. At least 30% of all actors must also be minorities, and the main storyline or theme must be based on women, LGBT individuals, a racial or ethnic group other than whites, or people with a cognitive or physical disability.