William Lowry
William Lowry is professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the 2009 book Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America’s National Parks.
By William Lowry
The Rock and the Hollywood Shuffle*
The 2016 Academy Awards nominations’ whiteness has become a national civil rights issue. In his opening monologue at the ceremony, host Chris Rock stated: “I’m sure there wasn’t no black nominees [in] ’62 or ’63. And black people did not protest. Why? Because we had real things to protest at…
Most Timely: Hooray for Hollywood
Now is an apt time to look back on Caleb Peterson’s protest, both as an antecedent and as inspiration. His strategy, which turned Hollywood’s moneymaking spectacles into race relations controversies, smartly used theatricality as a tool for protest. While its impact on equal hiring practices was unclear, it can still be read as radical and successful.
