![](\"http:\/\/hunterword.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/chrisrock.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By Alexa Ellis, May 14, 2016<\/p>\n
Well known celebrities wearing expensive gowns, suits and wardrobes gathered in the same room for a night of acknowledgment. This is the routine for Hollywood’s extravagant extravaganza. Normally, Oscar night proceeds in predictable order starting with a red carpet and ending with honorees being showered in celebratory praise for their outstanding achievements, but this year was rather unpredictable and unsettling for both the celeb audience and those sitting at home watching. Well, that’s how I imagine it.<\/p>\n
![\"ocars\"](\"http:\/\/hunterword.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/ocars.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
I was uncomfortable. Mostly because of the jokes he made. I felt a lot of Chris Rock\u2019s race jokes were unnecessary and didn\u2019t really chastise Hollywood about it racial issues though some of his wise cracks did seem to mock the racism African Americans face in the film industry, such as the joke about African Americans back in the day not worrying about such a trivial matter because they had to worry about their grandparents being lynched.<\/p>\n
I felt his performance was too over the top, and it was unsettling to watch since ancestors of guests in the room were responsible for inflicting such harm. The well known actress Jada Pinkett Smith said in interviews that she was boycotting the Oscars because of the lack of diversity in the nominations. Her husband Will Smith also boycotted but only in support of his wife.<\/p>\n
Other celebrities<\/a> \u00a0agreed to boycott with the Smiths, such as movie producer Spike Lee, actor Tyrese Gibson and artist Snoop Dogg.\u201c My office phone rings off the hook with the media asking me my opinion about the lack of African-Americans and this year was no different,\u201d Lee said on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cFor once, (maybe) I would like the media to ask all the white nominees and studio heads how they feel about another all white ballot. If someone has addressed this and I missed it then I stand mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n The history of the African American in Hollywood supports Spike Lee’s position. Viola Davis, during her acceptance speech at the Emmy\u2019s made it a point to say,\u201d You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.\u201d It’s difficult for Women of Color to get jobs besides the stereotypical characters, like the TV mistresses in Scandal (Kerry Washington), Being Mary Jane\u00a0(Gabriel Union), or the hard knock life film, PRECIOUS.<\/p>\n Even though most black actors and actresses agreed there\u2019s a lack of roles for African Americans, they don\u2019t totally agree on the causes of the situation, which is where the divide of the boycott starts. Actresses Whoopi Goldberg (SISTER ACT) and Janet Hubert of TV’s Fresh Prince opposed the boycott for what they said was misdirected anger and trivial importance compared to bigger issues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not that the problem that the people who are nominated are too white,\u201d Goldberg said on an episode of her show The View.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n