The Hollywood Foreign Press Association took to the Golden Globes awards stage to address recent controversies surrounding the lack of Black members.
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HFPA Vice President Helen Hoehne, President Ali Sar and Chairman of the Board Meher Tatna address the issue during Sunday’s Golden Globes telecast, saying the organization -- which determines Golden Globes nominations and winners -- will work toward diversifying its membership, which has no Blacks among its 87 members.
Hollywood stars recently took aim at the organization regarding diversity, launching the #TimesupGlobes campaign on social media to highlight the HFPA’s lack of Black members.
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“Tonight while we celebrate the work of our artists from around the globe, we recognize we have our own work to do,” Hoehne said. “Just like in film and television, black representation is vital. We must have black journalists in our organization.”
Tatna added: “We must also ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities gets a seat at our table, and we are going to make that happen.”
Sar ended by saying that the effort “means creating an environment where diverse membership is the norm, not the exception. We look forward to a more inclusive future.”
Golden Globes hosts Tina Fey and Amy Pohler took a shot at the HFPA in their opening monologue, with Fey quipping, “ Inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. I realize HFPA, maybe you guys didn’t get the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s, but you’ve got to change that. So here’s to changing it.”
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After the show, the Time's Up organization sent very terse letters to both the HFPA and NBC, which aired the Globes, saying that the organization's statements during the show fell short of addressing its diversity problem, according to thewrap.com.
