#OscarsSoWhite

2015

Date: 15 January 2015 · Place: Twitter; Washington, DC · Figures: April Reign, attorney and originator · Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences · Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy president · Tags: Hashtag, BlackTwitter, Industry 01. Six Words on the Couch On the morning of 15 January 2015 the Academy announces all twenty acting nominees are white. April Reign, watching from her couch in Washington, tweets #OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair. The hashtag is meant as a one-liner. By that evening it is the top trending tag in the United States. Reign keeps tweeting under it for the rest of awards season. The framing it offers, a single tag that doubles as headline and call to action, becomes the template for industry pressure campaigns. 02. The Academy Capitulates The 2016 nominations land in January, all-white again. The hashtag returns at higher volume. By 22 January 2016 Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announces a doubling of the membership by 2020 to broaden eligibility. The Academy inducts 683 new members that summer, the largest single intake in its history. Reign goes on to consult on industry-equity hiring through 2020. #OscarsSoWhite is the proof of concept that Black Twitter, with a single attorney holding the hashtag, can move a Hollywood institution in twelve months. Sources • April Reign, original tweet, @ReignOfApril, 15 January 2015 • Cara Buckley, 'Oscars So White? Or Oscars So Dumb?', New York Times, 15 January 2015 • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences press release, 22 January 2016