The social media movement #OscarsSoWhite definitely has a point. Once again the Academy has ignored the few strong contributions that black people were able to make to the overwhelmingly white film industry. F. Gary Gray's Straight Out of Compton is good enough to deserve a Best Picture nomination. Michael B. Jordan did great work in Creed as did Idris Elba in the powerful Beasts of No Nation. Sam Jackson was great in The Hateful Eight. And Rick Famuyiwa's Dope was definitely one of the best movies of the year. Any of these people could have and should have been nominated. It matters that black actors have been shut out, it matters professionally to those involved and it matters in a nation where the exclusion perpetuates the notion that blacks are lesser. The movement protesting the Oscar's lack of diversity has already inspired change. But I hope that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who are at the forefront of the push for black stars to boycott the award ceremony, realize they are conceding some of their power by excluding themselves.
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In the not too distant future, Hollywood will have to broaden its purview for artistic reasons, because telling truthful stories in a browner America will require that. It will have to broaden its scope for business reasons, too. Black consumers go out to see an average of six movies a year and hispanic moviegoers go out to the movies an average of 10 times a year. These are audiences that can move Hollywood by voting with their wallet. And as the percentage of white Americans diminishes and the percentage of people of color rise, they'll gain even more power.I'm not saying that all of the problems will be fixed by a demographic sea change in America. I'm saying Hollywood will face problems if it does not grow to match the growth of America. We can be more effective in shoving them toward that growth by having those with power in Hollywood sitting at the table on one hand, while others help create a new wave of black and brown filmmakers and actors who can change Hollywood from the ground up. Or, if we want to force radical change, hit them in the wallet by avoiding Hollywood movies altogether and show them how powerful we really are. I'd be down to participate in that. Until then, I will be watching the Oscars to hear what Chris Rock has to say and to see the Mexican filmmaking genius Alejandro Inarritu win the final award of the night.Follow Toure on Twitter.