Guest post: Oscars - "As a black woman, you have to work ten times harder to get half as far"

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As a child I hated that my hair was not blonde and straight. I wished for the sleek swish of a ponytail that my own tightly coiled kinks could never manage. Then I saw the Cheesestrings advert.

Amongst the smiling white faces scoffing down strands of cheese was a black girl. Her tumble of curls was piled high on her head with two plaits in place of the blunt-edged fringe that was the playground trend of the day. The last time my mother had tried to style my hair in a similar fashion, I had fretted that it looked stupid and tried to force it into some other eurocentric style, but in the wake of this advert I went to school holding my head, and my 'afropuff', high with pride.

While some advertisers have come to the slow realisation that the disposable income of the world's black and brown population is worth courting, other elements of our Western entertainment industry are still #sowhite. Films made by and starring black people can still feel like unicorns in the wild, but the past couple of years have been pretty good for those of us who don't appreciate a delusional film industry that believes the only stories worth telling involve a monochromatic cast and crew. So when, for the second year in a row, the impeccable craft of black actors, directors and producers has been so obviously overlooked at the Oscars, our exasperated eye rolls have turned into vocal frustration.

We're not asking for tokenistic representation, we're asking for real and tangible recognition. The problem is that the creative output by talented and qualified non-white professionals is being devalued and wilfully overlooked. Creed and Straight Outta Compton are two of 2015's biggest box office successes, and both garnered critical acclaim, but while the black directors, the black writers, and the black cast were overlooked by the Academy, they saw it fit to nominate the white supporting actor and the previously unimpressive and unheard of duo of white writers for their work on these films. The cast of Straight Outta Compton – the highest grossing music biopic of all time – was not even invited to the awards ceremony.

Thinking about the spectrum of black experience today, from being overlooked for jobs, promotions and leadership positions, to receiving harsher punishments from school rooms through to courtrooms, to the fact that black people are more likely to die in interactions with the police, the reality is that I've given birth to my precious little boy in a society that, even if he is outstanding, will not value him. And let me be clear, rightful recognition in elite institutions will not eradicate other forms of injustice, but that recognition still matters in a very concrete sense. It is that recognition that will open up doors for other black creative professionals, and it is that acknowledgement that will bring funding and opportunities and put to bed the insidious myth that projects with black headliners, and positive stories with black headliners in particular, "do not do well" and so are not worth doing at all. Recognition matters.

As much as I hope to be a strong source of affirmation and positivity in my son's life, I can't deny that messages emanating from mass media and popular culture are a force to be reckoned with. Modern parenting and childhood are hard enough without the burden of explaining and compensating for the uneven balance that permeate our society at every level. As an adult, navigating a world filled with double standards, unspoken hierarchies and the nuance of prejudice is exhausting enough, but the thought of preparing an innocent child for that journey ties my stomach in knots.

"I have to work three times harder because I'm black, because I'm a woman, and because I have an African accent." I must have been around ten years old when my mother said that, but her words have never left me. It's 2016 and I'm preparing myself to echo the words passed down from one black generation to another: "you have to work ten times harder to get half as far". In an ideal world my son would be confident that there is no arena where he, as a black boy or black man, cannot succeed, but I look at the industry I love and the one that I work in and find it hard to believe that myself. One day I'll have to explain to my son that even if he works his hardest to make something amazing, it's likely that the only recognition his labour will receive will be handed to whichever white person is standing closest to him.

@Josie, I think you'll find that people of colour have to be exceptional whereas a white person can and will be awarded for mediocracy. No one is asking for quotas, just for the Academy voters to watch the films that are submitted. And maybe not give awards to people of colour just when they are playing slaves or gangsters, you know for roles that just reinforce negative stereotypes.

Jendella, I would agree with you that there is an unconscious racist bias against nominating black talent. I'm not a massive fan of Will Smith, but the fact that Jeffrey Wright has never been nominated is enraging.

However, I can't get past your referring to the nominated screenwriters from Straight Outta Compton as "previously unimpressive and unheard of white writers". From someone working within a highly competitive industry, where a person can go from obscurity to fame on the back of their work, I find that incredibly disdainful and disrespectful. So... only people with a brilliant writing cv and a good press agent should be nominated? Unless they're non-white? Hmmm.

I think if I understand rightly that the issue here is that there has been no black actor/actress/director nominated for a major role in the past 2 years by Oscars even where the rest of the industry has judged their work as better than average (other award networks/critics). I don't think a quota based system is the solution here...positive discrimination is still discrimination (I am categorically against all of it). The crux of the issue is that talent and greatness should be recognised in all individuals regardless of their biological make up (race or otherwise). Many people have postulated that it is because the Oscars are so biased anyway because of the way people are nominated and voted for. I hope our children grow up to see beyond the superficial and judge people based on their merit and inner qualities.

It's amazing really how white men always seem so much more exceptional than everyone else in all walks of life

Yeah, isn't it?

@Deejoda: So you are in favour of retaining the status quo? Because that's exactly what will happen if the white men in power are not forced to change their ways.

It would be nice if they could be convinced to just stop being sexist and racist, but that's not how the world works.

Besides, quotas are usually designed in a way that it is impossible they get undeserving people nominated.

For example, if a big company is forced to have 30% women in leading positions, then it is extremely unlikely they are able to find seven highly skilled men, but not even three highly skilled women, women's percentage of the population being 51%.

The quota just forces them to look for talent elsewhere but in their male white circle of best buddies.

No I am in favour of the reforms that the head of the Oscar committee chairlady person has put in play. Spotlighting institutional racism usually works as a good catalyst for change. P.s it isn't just white men. The chair person (dunno her official title) is a woman

slugseatlettuce - no absolutely not directed at you. Sorry for the confusion

entersandmum I don't see your point or connection. Race and Dis/ability are different yet equal things.

Some of the stories were amazing. Director of 'Straight out of Compton' getting no nomination (black)/writers (following many many existing stories) get nominated, but the direction in that film was utterly superb. That single story made me concerned this year. Will Smith I seriously don't give a shit about. Great guy, but not award material in the same way.

The tee-shirt says it all

Yes. I have seen the sinister smug confidence of an utterly incompetent fat protected white guy( I call them 'blueshirts') who acted politically to BP up his salary and devalue female juniors who were actually doing his job for him. He should have been deeply embarrasses, but he thought he was clever. In a just world, he would have had his throat cut, but he got a recent promotion... To a level stuffed full with mediocre white men awaiting their pensions. Disgusting.

I would agree that this blog post is pointless on mumsnet. As a black woman, I try to force myself not to read any threads on racism as I find the replies generally too upsetting in their determination to deny the experiences of black people.

"Give me the confidence of a mediocre white man"

All these references to "mediocre" white men are a bit misleading. It's not always about mediocre white men winning over better black/female candidates because there are lots of brilliant white men doing brilliant stuff. No need to put them down.

It's about giving blacks and women the chance to be as brilliant so everyone gets a look-in.

The first step needs to be to cast randomly (where possible) and to have actors/actresses there who just happen to be black/female.

"As a black woman, I try to force myself not to read any threads on racism as I find the replies generally too upsetting in their determination to deny the experiences of black people."

YY, that's shitty. There's nothing more annoying than being told "you don't feel that" or "you shouldn't feel like that because ...." and then being given a list if reasons why the status quo is as it is.

There may be many legitimate reasons why things are the way they are but it doesn't change the negative effects it has on people or the fact that we should try to change it for the better.

I don't think the problem is with the oscars.

It's the industry. The default is white male.

Someone makes a film. The films that get funding, and made, are the ones they think will be a box office hit. You can imagine the pitch-"So the handsome man kills all the baddies and gets the girl"

I see many, many roles which should be colourblind. There's no reason a black man can't play James Bond/Bourne/the generic hero. There's actually no reason they can't be played by a black woman.

But the people who make films want a "name". Usually a white man along the Tom Cruise genre.

I haven't seen "straight outta compton", but I imagine it's a "black" film, about black people, made by black people. That's brilliant, obviously, but it reinforces the black vs white storytelling. It has to be either, and black/chinese/asian actors play roles telling stories about characters of their own ethnicity.

To get more black actors winning oscars, we need to be looking at roles and asking whether skin colour is important to the role. If it's the life story of Elvis, then yes, you have to cast a white man. If it's a story about our hero running around killing bad guys, or being the life saving doctor, then it doesn't really matter about skin colour.

How many of the roles nominated for Oscars this year were parts where white skin colour was part of the storyline? Hollywood sees "middle class male", and thinks white. It is racist because they don't see black people as filling equal roles. Black people can be middle class. They can have jobs as doctors, lawyers, spies and heros.

I heard something from an american friend who was visiting. She was surprised on UK tv how "normal" mixed race couples are. In adverts for example. In the US apparently you never see mixed race couples, unless it is part of a storyline i.e a sitcom about a mixed race couple's difficulty. I always found the Cosby show racist as a child because there were no white people. At all. Unless it was a storyline about the cast dating a "white girl", who would last a couple of episodes.

I was a bit hesitant to read the comments on this post because, like so many have pointed out before, these discussions often get derailed by people claiming that they don't see racism therefore it doesn't exist. But I'm really encouraged to see some thoughtful responses.

I really do think it's important to have these conversations everywhere. It will make many feel uncomfortable, and so it should! Many of us have been living with the uncomfortable reality of racism for most of our lives, nothing will change unless we're all uncomfortable with the situation.

@cingolimama my point about the screenwriters was that they were mediocre with a track record of being mediocre, point being that by no stretch of the imagination were they the element that made the film great. The strength in Straight Outta Compton was not the script, it was the directing and the actors. But I can agree to disagree if you feel differently .

As for those who feel that simply discussing race and issues of diversity is "racist" or "divisive", if you think that black creatives saying that they deserve to be recognised for their amazing work is racist, then you are part of the problem. Claiming to be "colourblind" or living in a parallel universe serves no one but your own selfish desire to be comfortable at all costs. As someone else posted, just because you don't see something doesn't mean that it does not exist.

Very good blog. My dgd is mixed race. I am white. Part of me was hoping that she would come out dark like her father, as I have always liked dark skin but reading so much about how black people are treated, I was glad that she was born quite pale. So sad and so stupid all this racist stuff and how dare people tell black people that there is no discrimination, I wish that were true.

I did not say racism does not exist but I do believe we have reached the point where a critical mass of the population is entirely at ease with each other. You make a lot of assumptions OP, including some people's apparent "desire to be comfortable at all costs."

People suffer discrimination for all sorts of things other than the colour of their skin. Hopefully we all try to teach our children to be resilient but resilience is not fostered by casting yourself as a victim even if it makes you feel better. To state that "as a black woman, you have to work 10 times harder...." is a ridiculour statement, what does that even look like? Carrying around a massive chip on one's shoulders is not an attractive look.

Seeing as just this week it was reported that Dawn Butler a black mp was mistaken for a cleaner, racism is clearly still a problem here. I don't know why people try to deny it. I think it is important to discuss this so we are all aware. If we ignore problems they won't go away.

I don't believe for a moment that we have evolved beyond unconscious racism. We have come a long way wrt conscious beliefs but the assumptions we don't even realise we have can still have a huge impact on how we judge and behave towards people of different races. Just as it does with sexism.

I don't know to what extent racism exists, I'm white and thus share to an extent the cultural experiences of that demographic. The only thing I am aware of is I don't feel discriminated against. I can't possibly comment for anyone else.

Although I'd like to think if someone felt and had a different experience we could at least talk about it. A cultural conversation is by definition going to boil down to a collection of personal and shared experiences, thusly if any group feels marginalised that's now part of our cultural landscape.

If we're not even going to at least engage and listen we can't by definition have reached the critical mass alluded to earlier. Whilst in the strictest terms my own personal analysis of Oscar nominations/winners in acting categories over the last few decades is 12% or so which would be a near bullseye to the 13% African American population.

However I don't think there is a 13% spread in other areas of the film industry, roles written for black actors and actresses come from a much more limited range. I'm inclined to agree with Whoopi Goldberg as she works in the field rather than random posters who say there is no problem.

I am not at all interested in the oscars so I'll take your word for what's going on there. That said, I do find your post a bit offensive because the UK is very different to the US. In fact, the UK is decades ahead on the issue of racism. In the US, American black people get called "African Amercan". In Britain, British black people get called "British".

I have young kids and at their school, there are children with lots of different skin colours. None of these kids are remotely racist, it would never occur to them as they are just all kids. In fact, when my ds read a book about events in South Africa, he was horrified to discover what racism was and that anyone would be capable of such a thing. The OP is preparing to say to her child the point about black people having to work much harder to get less far. To be quite honest, I would be gutted if your child (having heard that phrase from you) was at school with my child. Because I think it is a divisive attitude. All the kids mine are at school with consider each other to be equal. There are no divisions. You would actually be making divisions.

Pinkcan, I don't live in Britain anymore but when I return to the UK I stay with my db whose friends are of all shades and nationalities. However the young teens of Caribbean descent, who are some of the nicest teenagers I have ever met, were getting regularly hassled by the police. It makes my blood boil just to think of it.

I never once cast myself as a victim @reapwhatyousow, you're the one who chose to use the term. Me talking about the reality of life as a black person in the 21st Century does not make me a victim, and the fact that you think of me in that way shows a serious flaw in your own perception.

The fact is that there is unconscious bias that many people in our communities work against, race is one of them. Even our PM (for all of his sins) has spoken about things such as bias from employers when looking at CVs from black and other minority ethnic candidates, not to mention other issues where studies have been done and can be statistically proven.

@pinkcan, your comment proves that your knowledge of what it's like to be black in the UK is limited. You said that in the UK black people are just known as british, while in the US they are known as African American. This is patently false. In the UK we are known as Black British, or the slightly baffling BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic). That is how we are classified, not just as "British". And why on earth would you find me educating my child about potential obstacles he may face as a black boy (statistically proven obstacles, done by real scientists and statisticians, that corroborate first hand accounts of Black British people) divisive? What has me preparing my son to succeed in a world where the odds are stacked up against him, anyway detrimental to your own child's development? The mind boggles...

Part of the problem is that as a black woman, a real life black woman who has lived in Britain all my life, I have white people who have never once lived their lives as a black person, telling me that what I have experienced does not happen even when objective evidence exists. It's amazing how you can become an armchair expert in such things... .

jendella - Regarding CV's, it has for a long time now been best practice not to ask for the applicant's ethnicity. Along with the question, are you planning a family? Or indeed marital status.

So that point simply does not wash.