Women

Huffington Post - As former President Donald Trump and his base dial up the racism and sexism against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, it should come as no surprise that there’s an “epidemic of invisibility” for women of color on screen, according to a new report published Monday. In 2023, of the top 100 highest-earning movies at the box office, just 14 featured women of color as leads or co-leads, down from 18 in 2022. Behind the camera, only four women of color directed major Hollywood movies last year.

The entertainment industry’s persistent intransigence on racial and gender equity is a perennial finding of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which has annually examined diversity in front of and behind the camera since 2007. The group’s latest report warns that this abysmal cycle is likely to continue as Hollywood companies roll back their previously lauded diversity initiatives, cut costs and prioritize risk-averse choices — despite mountains of research showing that diversity is essential to Hollywood’s survival.