The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will have at least 13 Black members by the next Golden Globes.
The organization — which puts on the annual awards ceremony — has vowed to have 100 members, as a minimum, by next year, with at least 13 of these to be Black journalists to promote diversity after it was revealed they do not have one Black member in their current line-up of 87 journalists.
In a lengthy statement, the organization wrote: “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association reiterates that we are committed to making necessary changes within our organization and in our industry as a whole. We also acknowledge that we should have done more, and sooner. As a demonstration of our commitment, the board has unanimously approved a plan to increase membership to a minimum of 100 members this year, with a requirement that at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists.”
It comes after the show’s hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler called out the lack of diversity within the HFPA during the Golden Globes ceremony.
Poehler said: “This is probably something we should’ve told you guys earlier. Everybody is, understandably, upset at the HFPA and their choices. Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated, but that happens, OK? That’s, like, their thing, but a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”
Fey interrupted: “We all know that award shows are stupid. But the point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press.
“I realized, HFPA, maybe you guys didn’t get the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s, but you’ve gotta change that. So, here’s to changing it.”
Following the ceremony, a host of publicists in Hollywood said they would not advocate for their clients to go to any of the events organized by the HFPA until they saw change on the board.
