At least 13 Black members in HFPA by next Golden Globes
The organisation behind the Golden Globes, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has committed to adding at least 13 Black members to the group ahead of next year’s ceremony.
“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,” the organisation said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The statement was issued by the HFPA on Monday night (Tuesday according to India time) after more than 100 PR firms representing nearly all of Hollywood’s talent released an open letter demanding “transformational change” within the HFPA.
The organisation currently has 87 members and they plan on increasing the membership to a minimum of 100 by next year, with at least 13 per cent of those members being Black journalists.
Earlier this month, the organisation had promised to bring in “transformational changes” in a statement issued by them on Instagram.
“We are improving our efforts to create transparency into our operations, voting, processes, eligibility and membership. These are the initial steps we will take over the next 60 days and we will carry out further actions based on recommendations that come from these initial reviews and assessments,” the statement read.
The statement was slammed by the Time’s Up Movement, who asked the organisation to act instead of releasing statements.
“On behalf of the many artists who look to us to hold the HFPA’s feet to the fire on the racism, disrespect, misogyny and alleged corrupt financial dealings of the Golden Globes, we need to see specific details, timetables for change, and firm commitments. The right words are not enough. The clock is ticking,” Times Up campaign’s official handle posted on Twitter.
