by R.J. McIntyre ‘18
The Screen Actors Guild held its 22nd annual awards show in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Comedians and actors such as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and John Hamm presented awards to the performers in film and television.
Uzo Aduba won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series award for her role in Orange is The New Black. Next, Idris Elba was awarded the Outstanding Performance in a TV Movie or Mini Series award for his role in Luther. Queen Latifah won the same award among the actresses.
Upon inspection of the winners, we see that people of color were presented most of the most prestigious awards in film and television. The award-winning actors and actresses from Saturday night’s awards bare a stark contrast to the winners of the Globes and Oscar nominees.
Many were hopeful prior to the Golden Globes. There were several black and Hispanic actors among the 2016 Golden Globes television and movie nominees. However, spirits fell when only six out of 25 people of color received Globes. Many conscious viewers were left asking themselves if people of color had truly been outperformed in nearly every category.
The Oscars nominees and the Oscars commercial slogan were announced on January 14th. The slogan is, “We all dream in gold.” The nominees were also announced. People were immediately shocked and appalled by the all-white nominees. Critics called for more diversity in the Academy Awards.
With the growing issue in the media, the producers of the SAG Awards clearly put together a show that highlighted the racial diversity in the entertainment industry. At the beginning of the live awards show, Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Tambor, Anna Chlumsky, Kunal Nayyar and Rami Malek spoke about what it means to be an actor and a performer.
Jobeth Williams, SAG Awards Committee Chair, states that the awards show has “worked very hard to reflect the real world.” All of the SAG members voted for the winners, guaranteeing accurate selections.
With the outcome of the SAG awards, people are hopeful about the future of racial equality in the entertainment industry. It seems that people of all racial backgrounds can be recognized for their outstanding contributions. However, with the Oscars looming in the near future, it appears that not all of us can dream in gold.
