The 2016 Oscars, airing on Sunday, February 28th, are bringing forth excitement and anticipation along with boycotts against the lack of racial diversity within nominations. One billion viewers are expected to tune into the show this year but the current problem is leading there to a fear of ratings going down significantly. The first celebrity to openly express her distaste was Jada Pinkett Smith, along with her husband Will Smith.

“Is it time that people of color recognize how much power, influence, that we have amassed, that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere?” Jada said. “Maybe it’s time that we recognize that if we love and respect and acknowledge ourselves in the way in which we are asking others to do, that that is the place of true power.”

The Academy failed to nominate any minorities, especially African Americans, along with the fact that popular movies featuring black stars were not placed in major categories.

“I think if any individual deserves an award, no matter what color their skin is, they should receive it. We’ve all worked so hard to make our society completely diverse and equal, the Oscars are no exception,”, shared Danielle McKnight, junior.

Other celebrities joined the boycott, some even refusing to attend the event at all. A-listers include George Clooney, Al Sharpton, Mark Ruffalo, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and countless others, all speaking out to support the race protest. Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming amounts of objection, insiders suggest that the Oscars are unlikely to change the status quo- something many people are still satisfied with. For the second year in a row, every actor nominated is white… how is it possible for anyone to not see something wrong with that?