Oscars Snub:Rev Al Sharpton calls for emergency meeting over ‘insulting’ absence of black actors

American civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton has slammed the Oscars for snubbing black actors in 2015. He said yesterday: 

‘The movie industry is like the Rocky Mountains – the higher you get, the whiter it gets.I have called an emergency meeting early next week in Hollywood … to discuss possible action around the Academy Awards.’

The civil rights film Selma, based on Dr Martin Luther King’s marches, has been nominated for best picture – but its British star David Oyelowo, who plays King, did not make the shortlist for best actor.

Selma’s director, Ava Duvernay, had been tipped to be the first black woman ever nominated for best director, But she, too, was locked out of Oscar contention in another all-white category.

All 20 actors nominated in the four acting categories this year are white and no women are nominated for either best director or screenwriter.

Sharpton said:

‘The lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations is appalling and while it is good that Selma was nominated for best picture, it’s ironic that they nominated a story about the racial shut-out around voting while there is a racial shut-out around the Oscar nominations.

‘With all of the talent in Selma and other black movies this year, it is hard to believe that we have less diversity in the nominations today than in recent history.’

Culled from Mailonline