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Spike Lee will skip the Oscars to protest all-white nominations

Spike Lee will skip the Oscars to protest all-white nominations

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'We cannot support it.'

By Kwame Opam / @kwameopam

Via Entertainment Weekly | Source Spike Lee (Instagram)

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Spike Lee won't be attending the Academy Awards this year because #OscarsSoWhite. In an announcement made on his personal Instagram just in time for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Chi-raq director took the Academy to task for nominating a wholly white field of actors for its top honors.

"We cannot support it," Lee wrote, "and mean no disrespect to my friends, host Chris Rock and producer Reggie Hudlin, president Isaacs and the Academy. But, how is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white? And let's not even get into the other branches. 40 white actors in 2 years and no flava at all. We can't act?! WTF!!"

"How is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white?"

Lee went on to quote Dr. King's famous 1968 speech against the war in Vietnam, saying he's sitting the Oscars out because "there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right." However, the "real battle," for Lee, is still in the executive offices at the major studios, which are still overwhelmingly white and influence what movies are made.

"As the great actor Leslie Odom Jr. sings and dances in the game changing Broadway musical Hamilton, "I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS." People, the truth is we ain't in those rooms and until minorities are, the Oscar nominees will remain lilly white."

#OscarsSoWhite... Again. I Would Like To Thank President Cheryl Boone Isaacs And The Board Of Governors Of The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences For Awarding Me an Honorary Oscar This Past November. I Am Most Appreciative. However My Wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee And I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February. We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let's Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can't Act?! WTF!! It's No Coincidence I'm Writing This As We Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. Dr. King Said "There Comes A Time When One Must Take A Position That Is Neither Safe, Nor Politic, Nor Popular But He Must Take It Because Conscience Tells Him It's Right". For Too Many Years When The Oscars Nominations Are Revealed, My Office Phone Rings Off The Hook With The Media Asking Me My Opinion About The Lack Of African-Americans And This Year Was No Different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot. If Someone Has Addressed This And I Missed It Then I Stand Mistaken. As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The "Real" Battle Is. It's In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To "Turnaround" Or Scrap Heap. This Is What's Important. The Gate Keepers. Those With "The Green Light" Vote. As The Great Actor Leslie Odom Jr. Sings And Dances In The Game Changing Broadway Musical HAMILTON, "I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS". People, The Truth Is We Ain't In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White. (Cont'd)

A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on

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