Amid the pre-hype for Sunday’s Oscars, a protest of the ceremony is already in the works.
Representatives from a number of civil rights organizations will gather at noon Friday to announce plans to protest Sunday’s Oscars and to call for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be more inclusive.
Participating organizations include the Al Sharpton-founded National Action Network, the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Plans for the protest will be announced at a press conference at the National Action Network’s Los Angeles headquarters at 2828 W. Jefferson Blvd.
This year’s Oscar nominations, which include 20 white acting nominees, sparked controversy, with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite growing on social media.
Earlier this week, Congressman Tony Cardenas entered the debate with a letter to AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. In the letter, Cardenas lamented the fact that “such a revered American institution fail[s] to fully reflect our nation.”
The Oscars will take place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with actor Neil Patrick Harris hosting.