“We must also ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities get a seat at our table, and we’re going to make that happen,” declared Hollywood Foreign Press Association Board Chair Meher Tatna during the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday (February 28). Tatna’s declaration came during the ceremony after the HFPA’s lack of diversity, specifically the fact that there are no Black members among its ranks, was repeatedly mentioned. The Time’s Up advocacy organization says the response is not enough.
“The HFPA’s statements tonight and over the last several days indicate a fundamental lack of understanding of the depths of the problems at hand. Your stated version of change is cosmetic –– find Black people. That is not a solution,” wrote Time’s Up president and CEO Tina Tchen. “You must now address the systemic problems within your organization,” she added.
A week ahead of the 78th Annual Awards Show, the Los Angeles Times investigated the HFPA, which is responsible for executing the ceremony, and published its findings of several ethical conflicts within the Association’s 87-member voting board, that does not currently have any Black members.
Throughout the show, HFPA’s lack of diversity was brought up, with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler ridiculing the Association at the beginning of the show. Tchen’s statement to the HFPA continued, adding that the situation “cannot be addressed simply by a search for new members,” and long-term solutions would be necessary. “What we had hoped you heard was that not having a Black member was a symptom of a problem, not just the problem itself.”
According to the Huffington Post, Time’s Up didn’t stop at calling out HFPA, they reportedly also sent a similar letter to NBCUniversal, which manages the broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards. Tchen wrote that the network “has a reputational interest in fixing these issues,” adding that “much of the credibility of the Golden Globes is drawn from its affiliation with your network.”
“This goes far beyond the simplistic description we heard tonight of representation and inclusion,” Tchen wrote. “The awards process must be free from concerns of racism or misogyny and devoid of the stories of rampant discrimination against filmmakers of color and the discomfort of actors who participate in any event.”
Tchen ended each letter with this: “The Globes are no longer golden,” echoing the voices of several Black leaders in Hollywood like Ava DuVernay, Kerry Washington, Sterling K. Brown, and more who've been calling out the industry's lack of diversity for years.
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