Should Christians Care about the Oscar Boycott?
The Oscars will be handed out on Sunday and a number of high-profile black celebrities are boycotting the ceremony because only white actors and actresses were nominated for the top honor.
We asked prominent Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church for his thoughts on the whole issue, and he was very candid in his response.
"I think that all Christians should care about what happens in culture -- in things like the Oscars," said Jackson.
"I am going to say it this way, this is going to sound harsh, but...my mother, when I was growing, up said this: 'If you're black, you're going to have to work twice as hard to get half as far,' continued Jackson.
"That sounded kind of rough, but what she was trying to do was create a desire for excellence in my life and a capacity to be thick-skinned in order to press through opposition."
Along those same lines, Oscar-winner Jaime Foxx recently said actors should be better actors if they want to be considered for an award. He made the comments at the American Black Film Festival.
In a recent interview, Foxx recounted a visit he had with Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier. Poitier told the younger actor that back in 1963, he simply wanted to be given chances to act. "It's all about the art,' Foxx recalled. "Who cares about anything else?'
There are movies and TV shows being produced by Bishop TD Jakes, Tyler Perry, Ava DuVernay and others. Recent African American Oscar winners include Lupita Nyong'o, Octavia Spencer, Common and John Legend.
"We've come a long way," Jackson said.
"Is there a lack of fairness? Probably. Should things get better? Most likely," said Jackson. "Should we boycott this event or the Oscars just because of this one year when we haven't had anybody nominated? I say no. Let's keep pushing, let's keep trying, let's keep praying, let's keep changing our culture."
