Google may or may not have imploded last night as people frantically searched to understand what the heck Frances McDormand meant when she said “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.“For those of you who haven’t had your morning coffee yet, an “inclusion rider” is a clause that an actor can insist be inserted in their contract that requires cast and crew on a film to meet a certain level of diversity.”
That is all fine and dandy and will certainly help move the needle of history. But. Yes, there’s a “but.” In a nation that is quickly becoming a majority-minority nation, inclusion is now mainstream. That calls for more than a rider. It calls for a whole new contract about what the new normal looks like.
Underrepresented groups—truly the majority—are not waiting around for a rider. They are already working on a new set of rules for a more diverse and inclusive Hollywood, nay, world.
As much was evident during the 90th edition of the Oscars, which remained so white in nominees, but got B+ for an effort to move towards the right direction.
Here are our top moments that had us cheering for inclusion and diversity; More importantly, they underscored just how committed people of color are to become more than an added clause in the world.
1 | When Rita Moreno dazzled in the same dress she wore to the Oscars 56 years ago when she won an Oscar for her starring role in West Side Story. If you remember, the New York Times identified this EGOT recipient as a “guest” at the Golden Globes. No one is going to confuse this living legend for a guest. Step aside.
Rita Moreno. Photo: Bettman/Getty Images, Frazer Harrison
2 | Whenever people mentioned Puerto Rico or Mexico or Kenya or Chile or Africa or Haiti or insert any other country or region where we or our ancestors came from. On the red carpet, Lin Manuel asked people to “Keep Puerto Rico in the conversation”. “Viva Latinoamérica,” exclaimed Guatemalan-American actor Oscar Isaac when announcing Coco’s win for Animated Feature. And who can forget Common introducing his performance, “Tell the NRA they in God’s way and tell the people of Parkland we say aché. Sentiments of love for the people from Africa, Haiti, to Puerto Rico.” We are here, we get you, we got you.
3 | When Last Men In Aleppo Director Feras Fayyad, who miraculously made it to the Oscars despite the travel ban, refused to indulge People’s Jared Hall request for a more lighthearted conversation. Hall’s interrupted Feras’s eloquent discussion about the humanitarian atrocities taking place in Syria when Hall cut him off “I do want to ask you something a little more lighthearted here….” Fayyad was unfazed and pressed on the subject. Fascinating to watch if you are into learning what tone deaf looks like (minute 26:32).
4 | When Latino presenters code-switched like it was everyone’s business to listen and understand. The moment Rita Moreno (because we can’t get enough of her!) cackled as she opened the envelope for Best Foreign Film all Latinos in their homes cackled with her, because we knew then that Chile’s “A Fantastic Woman” had won. “Felicidades, que les vaya bien,” she whispered in congratulations. US Hispanics (heck all Latinxs) cheered for them and the new inclusive world they are building. Spanish is mainstream. Embrace it.
5 | When Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph talked openly and humorously about the elephant in the room=Race. Maya Rudolph dropped into the discussion as easily as she walked into stage barefoot “A few years ago people were saying that Oscars were so white, and since then some real progress has been made.” And Tiffany ran with is, “But when we came out together, we know some of you were thinking, are the Oscars too black now?” Then the kicker “But we just want to say, don’t worry, there are so many more white people to come”. They proved again that art and artists can create a unique space for important discussions, for change.
Part of the reason Haddish and Rudolph’s skit was so memorable is because they pushed the conversation forward, paving the way for McDormand’s “inclusion rider” comment.
While celebrities and presenters of color reign supreme on stage, on the surface, what we really need is more representation overall everywhere–the kind of representation that brings with it a deeper shift. True change.