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Videos: Al Sharpton Leads #OscarsSoWhite Rally In Hollywood
Reverend Al Sharpton led a rally near the Oscars on Sunday afternoon, calling out the Academy for its lack of diversity among the nominees.
The rally was held at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, just down the street from the Dolby Theatre, where the ceremony will take place. Protesters held up signs that read "Hollywood Must Do Better" and "Shame on You."
"This will be the last night of an all-white Oscars," Sharpton said at the rally, reports the AP, as he held up an Oscar statuette painted white.
Al Sharpton leads the #OscarsSoWhite protest outside Academy Awards https://t.co/dEhzsrfSdg pic.twitter.com/UVCYwPZLKV
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) February 29, 2016
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Earlier this morning, Sharpton gave a sermon at the First AME Church of Los Angeles, where he called for a boycott of Oscar advertisers if the awards didn't step up and honor artists of color. "If they want to have a whites-only award, you don’t need no black dollars in your pocket," he said according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Preaching during 8am PST Sunday morning service at Second Baptist Church in LA. pic.twitter.com/pKhl9wNchF
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) February 28, 2016
Sharpton's National Action Network staged protests today in several cities across the country, including Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Cleveland, New York and Washington, D.C., according to the Daily Mail.
Also today, Spotlight actor Mark Ruffalo, director and co-writer Tom McCarthy, and co-writer Josh Singerjoined a protest outside of downtown's Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, calling for the Catholic Church to release the name of pedophile priests. All three are nominated for Oscars for Spotlight, which is about the Boston Globe reporters who uncovered the church's sex abuse scandal.
.@TheRevAl leading circular March #OscarsSoWhite pic.twitter.com/rsAI4raZZU
— Saba Hamedy (@saba_h) February 28, 2016
.@TheRevAl leads #OscarsSoWhite boycott in LA pic.twitter.com/qFLu9j5JsO
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 28, 2016
A little bit from @TheRevAl #OscarsSoWhite protest pic.twitter.com/3Bo5KFvQYr
— Saba Hamedy (@saba_h) February 28, 2016
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Marching within minutes of #Oscars @TheRevAl & #OscarsSoWhite campaigners calling for US tune out of awards @5_News pic.twitter.com/kF4z2dri1f
— Minnie Stephenson (@MinnieSteph5) February 28, 2016
#OscarsSoWhite protesters on Sunset Blvd & Highland Ave hours before #Oscars ceremony https://t.co/Q6VM3DqJIs pic.twitter.com/rjWQQCglAy
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) February 28, 2016
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