Lupita Nyong’o Speaks Out on Oscars Diversity Problem
Lupita Nyong’o (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
(ABC News) — Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o is adding her voice to the growing chorus of stars speaking out about the lack of diversity among this year’s Academy Award nominations.
The “12 Years a Slave” star, who’s only the sixth black woman to win the Oscar for best supporting actress, posted a statement on Instagram Tuesday.
While stopping short of saying she’ll boycott the awards, Nyong’o wrote, “I stand with my peers who are calling for change in expanding the stories that are told and recognition of the people who tell them.”
Nyong’o, 32, also included a quote from the writer James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Her comments follow those by fellow stars George Clooney, Don Cheadle and David Oyelowo, who have all weighed in on the lack of diversity among the nominees. For the second year in a row, all 20 acting nominees are white.
Meanwhile, Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and Michael Moore have announced they are boycotting this year’s Oscars.
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs released a statement Monday about the “lack of inclusion,” saying that she is “heartbroken and frustrated.”
