February’s upcoming Academy Awards show has been mired in controversy due to claims that the list of nominees in top categories has been “white washed,” reflecting insidious racial bias in Hollywood. Much of the outrage has emanated from black members of the film world, and discussion has revolved around a perceived lack of black nominees.
A new infographic from The Economist shows that it’s actually Asians and Hispanics, not blacks, who should be annoyed with the Academy.
Currently, blacks are about 13 percent of the U.S. population. As The Economist’s chart shows, blacks have received just slightly fewer top roles and Oscar nominations as a proportion of population. When it comes to actually winning acting Oscars, blacks have in fact been over-represented since the year 2000.
