Courtesy of Elev8.com
A brand new infographic highlights just how white and male the Academy Awards really are.
According to research by book publisher Lee & Low, since the Academy Awards’ inception in 1927, the academy has been dominated by whites males. Lee & Low found that, of the 6,000 industry professionals that compose the academy, 94 percent white. Lee & Low also found that only two percent of the academy is black and less than two percent are Latino. Asians and Native Americans round out the academy’s six percent minority membership.
When it comes to Oscar winners, only one woman of color as ever been awarded the Best Actress award – Halle Berry in 2002 for her role in Monster’s Ball. Just seven percent of the Best Actor award winners have been minorities members, including three black men: Sidney Poitier (1963,) Denzel Washington (2001,) Jamie Foxx (2004) and Forest Whitaker (2006.)