White boycott

Re “It’s time that Oscar woke up,” column, Jan. 20

I’ m white and I’ll be tuning out the Oscars this year. So will everyone in my family. I’m going to urge all my white friends to pass this year too, and if anyone white in the entertainment industry is reading this, I’m asking that you stay home along with Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith. Why would I do that?

While the persistent lack of award nominees among blacks and other people of color is grievously impactful to them, it is not their problem to fix. It is, in fact, a white problem, and it’s us white people who have to fix it.

Everyone knows that predominantly white men run the studios, and everyone of good conscience knows that’s where the problem starts — created and perpetuated by structural racism and the people who benefit from it. Mary McNamara also makes this point in her front- page column and calls it a kind of artistic tyranny. But until large numbers of white people are willing to take a stand and say “no” to the exclusionary status quo, the problem will not go away any time soon.

A large- scale boycott of the Oscars, on TV and in person, is an appropriate and timely place to start.

Al Seib Los Angeles Times WHEN nominations for the 88th Oscars were announced earlier this month, no actors of color received nods.