Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee boycott ‘white’ Oscars: We don’t need you, and we won’t beg

Nothing says racial oppression like two millionaires using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s name to whine about not getting a trophy.

On Monday, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and film director Spike Lee announced separately that they would be boycotting the Oscars this year.

We must stand in our power.

Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016

Pinkett Smith observed that “the Academy has the right to acknowledge whoever they choose,” just as film artists of color have the right to participate or not.

“Maybe it’s time we pull back our resources and we put them back into our communities, into our programs, and we make programs for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit, that are just as good as the so-called mainstream,” she said.

She added that “begging for acknowledgement, or even asking for it, diminishes dignity,” before closing with the statement that she will neither attend nor watch the Academy Awards this year.

Spike Lee, meanwhile, made his case via an Instagram post.

“It’s no coincidence I’m writing this as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday,” Lee wrote on an Instagram post with every word capitalized. “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.’”

Lee blasted the Academy for having only white actors and actresses nominated for best actor and actress awards, respectively, for the second year in a row.

#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

The two Hollywood heavyweights apparently couldn’t imagine that the people they wanted to see nominated, like Pinkett Smith’s husband Will Smith for his role in “Concussion,” might not have deserved to be nominated this year.

Either way, it’s doubtful that the Academy Awards was high on the list of things Dr. King was fighting for.

Related post:

Allen West puts ‘race-baiting’ Sharpton in place with one simple tweet

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