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February 10, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment Gil Robertson: The African American Film Critics Association Co-founder and president of critics’ group talks about race, Hollywood and this year’s awards By Kam Williams For The Skanner News G il L. Robertson IV is one of Amer- ica’s foremost authorities on Af- rican American pop culture. As a journalist, author, lecturer and media consultant, he is responsible for literary works and intellectual proper- ties that provide platforms for social change and personal growth. Gil is the editor of the bestselling an- thologies Family Aff air: What it Means to be African American Today, and the 2006 release, Not in My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, both nominated for NAACP Image Awards in the Outstanding Non Fiction catego- ry. He is also the author of Writing as a Tool of Empowerment, a resource book for aspiring journalists, and Where Did Our Love Go: Essays on Love & Relation- ships in the African American Commu- “ Georgia and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City. A graduate of Cal State Los Angeles, Gil is the founder and editor of the na- tionally syndicated Arts & Lifestyle col- umn, the Robertson Treatment which appears in 30 newspapers across the country boasting a readership in ex- cess of 2 million. Here, Gil talks about the 7th Annual African American Film Critics Associ- ation Awards ceremony held Wednes- day, February 10th in Hollywood. KW: Congratulations on the AAFCA Awards which has grown in stature in recent years. GR: Thanks, Kam. Yes, this is our 7th year and, although we’re experiencing a little itch, it’s all good. We’re celebrat- ing Straight Outta Compton and Ryan Coogler from Creed, as well as Teyo- nah Parris from Chi-Raq. Our Special The Oscars are never going to give us the due that we feel we deserve — and that’s okay. As a community, we must move past that and in- stead support the institutions that do nity. And Just Us Books is set to release his fi rst children’s book, Great African American Political Leaders. Gil is a co-founder and President of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), as well as the founder of the Robertson Treatment’s Media Workshop, an annual journal- ism initiative presented at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, Achievement honors are going to the terrifi cally talented John Singleton and Reginald Hudlin, as well as business phenoms Jeff Clanagan and Maverick Carter. It’s truly a special night! KW: Is it safe to assume this year’s ceremony will be better attended than ever, given the number of stars calling for a boycott of the Oscars aft er the my Awards and you say your awards are based solely on merit — without consideration to race or gender — but, historically, all the awards are going to White people. [There are] a few excep- tions when a Black performance was just so elevated that it couldn’t be ig- nored, like a few years ago when Lupita Nyong’o won for 12 Years a Slave. Gil Robertson Academy failed to nominate any Black actors or actresses for the second year in a row? GR: Our show has always attracted an amazing array of executives and cre- atives from the fi lm and TV community, as well as an impressive list of celebrity talent. We look forward to giving them a high-quality event. KW: Isn’t it very revealing that Sly Stallone was nominated in the Support- ing Actor category for Creed, but its Af- rican American star, Michael B. Jordan, and director, Ryan Coogler, were both snubbed? And the only nomination garnered by Straight Outta Compton, which featured a Black cast and direc- tor, was for its script which was writ- ten by four whites. GR: Now let’s have real talk. While the Academy doesn’t blatantly promote itself as an organization for Whites only, it’s hard to see the Oscar as an award for all. That’s the big elephant in the room. You call yourself the Acade- KW: How long do you think it’ll take for the Oscars to be more inclusive? Its president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is African American, recently an- nounced plans to double the number of minority voters by 2020. But if blacks are about 4 percent now, that’s just a 1 percent increase per year. Would that likely alter the outcome? GR: Ms. Isaacs is putting the work in, and I’m very confi dent that the seeds she plants will grow. Change takes time and, as Hollywood mirrors larger American society, this process will too. KW: Besides off ering an alternative to the the Oscars, why should people at- tend the AAFCA Awards? GR: The AAFCA Awards are neces- sary because they off er us an opportu- nity to celebrate ourselves. The Oscars are never going to give us the due that we feel we deserve — and that’s okay. As a community, we must move past that and instead support the institutions that do. Black people, your support is necessary and you cannot sit out this party, if you’re serious about wanting to see some real change. Read the rest of the interview at TheSkanner.com An Evening with Famed Author and Professor DR. MICHEAL ERIC DYSON presented by PORTLAND PRIME in honor of BLACK HISTORY MONTH MONDAY FEB. 22, 2016 • 5:30PM 121 SW 3RD AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97204 Dinner & Wine: $80 per person We are also honoring Judge Adrienne Nelson of the Multnomah County Circut Court, the second African American female judge to be appointed in the state of Oregon MC Robin Gibbins (503) 223-6200 • PortlandPrime.net Prime Steaks & Entertainment
