*An earlier report noted that Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) caught major heat in the weeks leading up to the Golden Globes last month after it was revealed that there are zero Black voters among the organization’s 87-strong membership.
The failure to diversify the organization is clearly the reason why Black-led projects received snubs for this year’s Golden Globes.
A Los Angeles Times investigation exposed a lack of Black HFPA and that the organization voted not to hire a diversity consultant. The HFPA confirmed to the outlet that there are no black members but noted it is an issue they’re “committed to addressing.” The group provided no details about how they plan to go about it… until now.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has pledged to add at least 13 Black journalists to the organization.
READ MORE: HFPA Promises New Diversity Efforts After #GoldenGlobesSoWhite Controversy
Here more via Complex:
The commitment comes on the heels of the release of an open letter from over 100 Hollywood public relations firms urging their clients not to participate in HFPA events until the organization made “profound and lasting change to eradicate the longstanding exclusionary ethos and pervasive practice of discriminatory behavior, unprofessionalism, ethical impropriety and alleged financial corruption endemic to the HFPA, funded by Dick Clark Productions, MRC, NBCUniversal and Comcast.”
“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association reiterates that we are committed to making necessary changes within our organization and in our industry as a whole,” the HFPA said in a statement released on Monday night. “We also acknowledge that we should have done more, and sooner. As a demonstration of our commitment, the board has unanimously approved a plan to increase membership to a minimum of 100 members this year, with a requirement that at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists.”
The HFPP’s 13% diversity ratio is based on the percentage that Black people that makeup the U.S. population.
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