Some may feel like this was just a way to soothe the backlash of the 2016 Oscars nominations. The timing is skeptic, however, the acknowledgement of the outstanding talent of several of our favorite actors and actresses of color were present on Saturday night. The Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) celebrated diversity in Hollywood this past weekend. The ceremony, which took place in Los Angeles, contributed greatly to the notion that the film industry DOES honor individuals regardless of their race. Idris Elba, Queen Latifah, Viola Davis, and Uzo Aduba all took home top awards that evening. Each basking in the moment, shared sentimental words of appreciation that, at times, made the audience aware that diversity should be accepted across all boards. In Queen Latifah’s speech for best female performance in a TV movie or series, she stated “I hope that anyone out there who does not come in the package that people say you should, keep fighting for it,” said Latifah. Later backstage, Queen Latifah hinted at the fact that the film industry will be missing out big time if they do not continue to produce and/or acknowledge films or television shows that appeal to other races. “Hopefully our business will continue to supply the demand that people are asking for. The people want it. Give it to the people,” she said. For the second year in a row, the Academy Awards has only selected white nominees for their top categories. The blatant inequality sparked a campaign to boycott the Oscars this year, which was highly publicized by veteran actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Over the past few weeks, other celebrities have publicly voiced their opinions on the matter. One actor, who many thought would have been nominated this year for best male actor is Idris Elba. The “Beasts of No Nation” actor took the opportunity at the SAG Awards to throw a slight shade. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV,” said Elba. He won best lead performance for his role in the miniseries “Luther” and best supporting performance for the Netflix original “Beasts of No Nation.” “Orange Is The New Black” star Uzo Aduba accepted her second SAG award for best actress in a comedy. Aduba took the time to celebrate the show’s creator for making a program that represented so many people. The ever-so-eloquent Viola Davis reminded the audience that “diversity is not a trending topic” as she was honored for her role in “How to Get Away With Murder.” This is first time that African-Americans stood above the rest in terms of number of awards issued at the SAG Awards.
