The snubs stung. It was a repeat of 2015 when, like decades before in the Academy’s history, actors and filmmakers of color were excluded or vastly underrepresented among the nominees. Throughout the Oscars’ 90-plus-year history, people of color have advocated for better and more representation at award shows, and hence, in cinema and Hollywood.

It was one cinema super-fan, April Reign, who said enough is enough five years ago with a tweet and the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. That post mobilized a movement focused on diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. But with the 2020 Oscar snubs, and with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still struggling to fully address the same diversity issues they committed to solving by this year, that very same #OscarsSoWhite movement is more relevant and needed than ever.

Reign—now known as the #OscarsSoWhite creator and a global diversity and inclusion advocate—was an attorney practicing campaign finance law with no connection to the entertainment industry outside of her love for film when her tweet and hashtag went viral.

“So that particular morning in January, I was watching the nominees on TV as I got ready for work, and Chris Hemsworth—who plays Thor in the ‘Avengers’/MCU—was one of the presenters. And it just struck me that category after category, there were no people of color nominated,” Reign recalled. “So I picked up my phone and got on Twitter and said, ’#OscarSoWhite they asked to touch my hair,’ and that’s was it.”

By lunchtime her tweet was trending worldwide.

“Initially I was being kind of snarky and petty, so those were the responses that we were getting, like ‘#OscarsSoWhite they find mayonnaise too spicy,’” Reign explained, sharing an example of a tweet received in response to hers blasting and poking fun at the Oscars.

A few days later, the hashtag shifted into a larger conversation about diversity and inclusion at the Oscars, as well as holistic representation for marginalized communities in the entertainment industry. According to Reign, there was even more interest around #OscarsSoWhite in 2016. The 88th Academy Awards repeated the previous year’s lack of diversity in the major categories.

“I think the industry and the media and everybody kind of woke up and said, okay one time is a fluke, two times is a pattern,” Reign said. “Maybe we need to see what this lady is actually talking about.”

In 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences heard the rallying cry and committed to doubling the number of people of color and women by 2020. The Academy increased the number of its members of color from 8 percent in 2015 to 16 percent in 2019, while increasing its female members from 25 percent in 2015 to 32 percent in 2019. While the Academy has met its goal of doubling members of color, its number of women only increased 7 percent from 2015. The Academy is still 84 percent white and 68 percent male.

But on the other hand, Reign also pointed out that #OscarsSoWhite has helped Hollywood progress with the Oscars’ response to doubling its members among people of color and women.

“What it also means is that people who were not members of the academy six years ago are now,” Reign said. “People like Julie Dash who created ‘Daughters of the Dusk,’ and Melvin Van Peebles who I consider the godfather of blaxploitation films of the ’70s. So that is definitely progress in my mind.”

The progress #OscarSoWhite has meant to diversity and inclusion is not limited only to Hollywood. There’s now a #JournalismSoWhite, a #TechSoWhite and a #GrammysSoWhite. While Reign launched a movement, she said she can’t take 100 percent of the credit for the diversity and inclusion efforts that are now out there.

“I think it helps spur consumers to rethink how they receive their entertainment, how they consume their entertainment,” she said. “I'd like to think that in the last five years we have all become more savvy in saying we're not going to reward mediocrity, and we are not going to give our hurt, hard-earned dollars either in darkened movie theaters or to subscription services for entertainment that does not reflect facets of our experiences.”

In Hollywood, there are now inclusion riders working behind the scenes to ensure intentional diversity hiring practices in both casting and production. Some filmmakers and actors are creating their own production companies instead of continuing to try to make their way into legacy studios who have shut them out. Reign said the changes we are starting to see comes from these larger conversations about diversity and inclusion.

But in 2020, the #OscarsSoWhite movement remains relevant, with Reign saying there’s still much work left to be done. “I think we're just getting started,” she said. “There's a reason why #OscarsSoWhite is on the list of the media and the consumers every single year, even if I'm not the one starting the rallying cry.”

The #OscarsSoWhite movement has given the Academy five years to make significant structural changes, and according to Reign, the Academy has fallen short. “I think it's really time to start asking whether the academy is still relevant,” she explained. “It became the gold standard of the film industry because there was no one else to push back against that if you really think about it.”

As Reign noted, 92 years ago it was basically old white men wanting to celebrate their performances—and that's how the Oscars began. With the declining viewership in the telecast and lack of diversity, it’s time to change that.

“It has to do with the gatekeepers,” she said. “So even with all of the changes that the Academy says that they’ve made, we are still talking about a majority older, white male organization. So why should we expect change when the organization, the structure itself, hasn’t changed?”

The 2020 Oscar nominations signaled the status quo. Many were upset. Others in disbelief. Some not surprised. This year’s Oscar snubs consisted of diverse performances from marginalized identities and people of color, genre films (science fiction, fantasy and horror) and acclaimed blockbusters like “Avengers: Endgame” in the Best Picture category—typical Oscars. With a couple of exceptions like “Parasite” and “Hair Love” getting nods, the Oscars fell into its usual tropes.

Cynthia Erivo is the only actor of color acknowledged for her leading work in “Harriet,” a slave biopic about abolitionist Harriet Tubman. “Parasite” received six nominations in non-acting categories. On the other hand, “1917” received 10 nominations, which is a standard for war epics.

Acclaimed films that were considered major contenders and focused on storytelling featuring fully realized people of color and women were basically overlooked in the acting categories, and mostly in the top eight. Just to name a few: “The Farewell,” “Queen & Slim,” “Luce,” “Waves,” “Clemency,” “Just Mercy,” “Hustlers,” “Last Black Man in San Fransisco,” “Dolemite Is My Name” and “Us” did not get any love at the Oscars.

With an #OscarsSoWhite rallying cry yet again, The Tylt asked many of you to vote on those diverse filmmakers and actors left in the dust in the major categories. And while not every overlooked performance or film could be in our 2020 Oscar snubs series, below are some of the ones that stung the most.