Academy Sends Letter Affirming Commitment to Diversity Initiatives After Multiple Black Executives Exit (EXCLUSIVE)

Clayton Davis
·3 min read
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent a letter to its members on Friday evening, addressing the recent departure of multiple Black executives from its organization over the past few weeks.

Signed by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang, the statement, obtained by Variety, includes an affirmation of the organization’s commitment to its diversity and inclusion programs, as well as efforts to “expanding” their promotion.

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“We have heard from some of you who have asked about our Academy DEAI programs as these efforts across our film community and other industries have been called into question,” the letter begins. “A number of Black executives in Hollywood have exited their roles, including within the Academy, and we recognize the concern this creates. Given all of this, we want to reiterate, in the strongest possible terms, the Academy’s commitment to not only continuing, but expanding our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within our organization and the film industry at large.”

At least four Black leaders at the Academy have left the organization since July 2022 for varying reasons — chief operations officer Christine Simmons; vice president, global relations and member outreach Patrick Harrison (a 22-year-veteran); executive vice president of impact and inclusion Jeanell English; and, most recently, executive vice president of member relations, global outreach and awards Shawn Finnie.

In addition, the Academy has drawn controversy for its April appointment of Meredith Shea as chief membership, impact and industry officer, who, in addition to overseeing all Academy membership, awards submissions and department budgetary items, is also charged with leading diversity efforts. Noteworthy, according to a study by Zippia, 76% of chief diversity officers are white across all professional disciplines.

In the letter, that does not name any of execs by name, Kramer and Yang also reiterate the organization’s commitment to diversity within its leaders, noting that Academy executives “at or above the vice president level” are 71% women and 42% from underrepresented ethnic or racial communities.

Following a previous Variety story reporting on multiple Black executives exiting movie studios, the Academy has since updated its website of listed leaders, after initially including only one Black executive Jacqueline Stewart, Academy Museum president and director. It now includes executive VPs who report to Kramer, notably BIPOC team members Yolanda Enamorado (executive vice president, people and culture) and Jenny Galante (executive vice president, revenue and business development). Still, the Academy does not have any Black or Latino C-suite staff (above VP level) beyond the Academy Museum, although there are BIPOC department heads, who are not listed on the website, who also report directly to Kramer.

When asked about the alarming trend of the mass exodus of Black execs from studios and orgs, and his response to the Academy’s letter BlackList founder Franklin Leonard tells Variety, “Any time you publish diversity numbers for new members without also citing the numbers for the organization as a whole, you’re saying quite a bit.”

Read the full letter to members below.

Dear Academy members,

We have heard from some of you who have asked about our Academy DEAI programs as these efforts across our film community and other industries have been called into question. In addition, a number of Black executives in Hollywood have exited their roles, including within the Academy, and we recognize the concern this creates.

Given all of this, we want to reiterate, in the strongest possible terms, the Academy’s commitment to not only continuing, but expanding our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within our organization and the film industry at large. We have made great progress in recent years, and there is still much more work to do.

Of our current Academy executives at or above the Vice President level, 71 percent identify as women and 42 percent identify as coming from an underrepresented ethnic or racial community. And in our 2023 new member class, 40 percent identify as women, 34 percent identify as coming from an underrepresented ethnic or racial community, and 52 percent come from outside the United States.

In addition:

We have expanded our Employee Resource Groups, evolved our DEAI-focused recruiting and hiring initiatives, and continued to grow our People and Culture Department.
Our talent development programs that focus on traditionally underrepresented voices in film now extend from K-12 through mid-career initiatives.
Our Inclusion Standards formally go into effect this awards year.
Aperture, our Membership Guidance program, will continue to drive diversification across all membership branches.
Our Academy Museum continues to program (and now travel) exceptional and diverse exhibitions and screenings that contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema.
Moving forward, we remain committed to continuing our global engagement efforts, expanding our work with our Member Affinity Groups, and exploring additional ways to empower our employees.

Our DEAI-focused work is a continuous journey that requires sustained attention, commitment, and resources across Academy departments. We will be looking for additional ways to accomplish these efforts, and we are firmly committed to the process.

On behalf of the Academy, thank you so much for your support. We look forward to continuing this important conversation.

Bill Kramer and Janet Yang

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