Now Showing: April Reign

In 2015, after all 20 nominations for acting roles were given to white actors, activist April Reign created the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. Her post went viral when the 2016 Oscars also reflected a lack of diversity, bringing the Academy under scrutiny. People globally pointed to the academy's lengthy history of racism, and its membership that was 92% white. The campaign gained further momentum when a broader look at the academy's racial and ethnic history showed that white nominees had outnumbered non-white nominees 17-to-1. Hattie McDaniel broke the barrier in 1940 as the first person of color to win an Oscar for her supporting turn in 'Gone With the Wind.'

In 2023, USC released a study that found that only 8% of nominees between 2008 and 2015 were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. However, in the post 'OscarsSoWhite' era between 2016 and 2023, that number increased to 17%.