819 members invited to the Oscars to diversify the Academy

PanARMENIAN.Net - Eva Longoria, Zendaya and Awkwafina are among the Hollywood figures invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year, as the Oscars voting body continues its push to diversify, The Guardian reports.

The Academy announced it had invited 819 new members on Tuesday, June 30, including Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington and Constance Wu. The new class of invitees is 36% people of color and 45% women. Those who accept will have voting privileges at this year’s Oscars.

The massive 2020 list comes as the Oscars responds to renewed calls for increased diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. Earlier this month, the Academy announced it would permanently expand its Best Picture category to 10 films, with the hope that more diverse films will receive nominations as a result.

The Academy is compromised of more than 8,000 voting members, and 2,000 new members have been added in the past three years. While still predominantly white and male, a 2018 study found that the new additions did increase diversity, with people of color making up 16% of members in 2018, up from 8% in 2015.