In light of Shakira’s recent addition to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, CNN’s recent article on minorities in Hollywood calculates some fairly depressing statistics on diversity in the biz – only 0.4% of the 2,354 stars are Asians. That’s TEN STARS. I can count that on my fingers, I don’t even need my toes! The numbers aren’t that much better for Latino/as who come in with a whopping 3.4% and African Americans who have 5.1%. Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said: “There have been relatively few nominations for Asian entertainers. Someone has to be nominated by a sponsor in order to be considered with a star. The issue must be pursued by a nominator. The committee can only consider from the pool of candidates that have been nominated.” While that may be part of the problem, the lack of stars is fairly reflective of a larger problem. The dearth of Asians and Asian Americans in Hollywood is not news. Hollywood has vast shortcomings when it comes to including more minorities and for non-stereotypical roles (remember this and this), but the stat is still shocking.
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