My friends, I've had a tough week. It reminds me of Langston
Hughes' poem "Mother to Son". You know the one..."life for me
ain't been no crystal stair".
First, I listened to former New York City Mayor Rudy
Giuliani's remarks telling a political group that Barack Obama, the President of
the United States, "doesn't love America". My first thought was
"how stupid is that", followed by the thought "there they go again".
No, he didn't go "birther" on us, claiming that the President wasn't
born in America, but rather eluded to elements in Obama's background and
locations where he lived, etc. as reason to come to the conclusion that he
"doesn't love America". It's amazing me the lengths that some
politicians who don't want to leave the spotlight will go including making
inflammatory comments to ensure themselves sometime in the media. Sarah Palin
is a perfect example of that group of "has beens".
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| Dorothy Dandridge |
Okay, so I put that all aside as I settled down to watch the
Academy Awards. Yes, I know Hollywood has a diversity problem. It is obvious by
the exclusion of African Americans in the list of nominations and the lack of
recognition both in front of and behind the camera. Nothing new. It's been 75
years since Hattie McDaniel won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1939 for
her role in "Gone with the Wind". Sixty years ago, in 1954, Dorothy
Dandridge became the first African American, male or female, to be nominated
for a performance in a leading role. It
was almost 50 years later (2002) that Halle Berry won the Oscar for best
actress in a leading role. Fifty years ago (1964), Sidney Poitier won best
actor in a leading role for his performance in "Lilies of the
Field". Even when Steven
Spielberg's "The Color Purple" was nominated for something like 11
awards in 1985, the Oscars didn't materialize. No, I don't watch the Oscars
from year to year because it saddens me that racism in Hollywood changes so
little over the years.
 |
| Denzel Washington |
I don't intend to include every Oscar winner or nominee, but I don't want to neglect mentioning the six Oscar nominations and awards for Denzel Washington. He won an Academy Award in 2002 for Best Performance by an actor in a leading role for "Training Day" and in 1990 for Best Performance by an actor in a supporting role for "Glory". His Best Performance by an actor in a leading role nominations include (2013) "Flight", (2000) "The Hurricane", and (1993) Malcolm X. His Supporting role nomination was his 1988 role in "Cry Freedom".
So moving on with my story, what slaps me in the face next are the disrespectful remarks of a host on the show "Fashion Police" to a young starlet walking the red carpet? Guiliana Rancic's comments on Zendaya Coleman's locs (dreadlocks) both floored me and offended me. To be honest, her remarks hurt my soul. The starlet decided to opt for long deadlock extensions for the Oscars. Although she received a fair share of complements, Fashion Police host Rancic said she felt like "she (Coleman) smells like patchouli oil and weed."
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| Guioliana Rancic and Zendaya Coleman |
“There is a fine line between what is funny and
disrespectful. Someone said something about my hair at the Oscars that left me
in awe,” the actress posted on Twitter.
“I was hit with ignorant slurs and pure disrespect. To say
that an 18-year-old young woman with locs [dreadlocks] must smell of patchouli
oil or ‘weed’ is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive,”
Coleman continued. “I don’t usually feel the need to respond to negative
things, but certain remarks cannot go unchecked.
“There is already harsh criticism of African-American hair
in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based
on the curl of their hair,” she added.
Coleman listed notable people who also choose to wear locks,
such as her own father, her best friend, Ava DuVernay, Ledisi and Harvard
professor Vincent Brown. She went on to state that none of these people smell
like marijuana.
Rancic eventually issued an apology and claimed that her
comments had nothing to do with race.
The Academy Awards program itself held a variety of political comments regarding women rights, pay inequality, gay rights, immigration pro and con, and even the lack of diversity in Hollywood.
The Academy Awards program itself held a variety of political comments regarding women rights, pay inequality, gay rights, immigration pro and con, and even the lack of diversity in Hollywood.
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| Common and John Legend |
Well, clearly we have a long way to go, but with persistence
and determination "we shall overcome".
(Disclaimer: For the record, the author of this post wears locs.)
(Disclaimer: For the record, the author of this post wears locs.)
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