Protesters call for diversity, rally ahead of Oscars

Calling for diversity in the entertainment industry, dozens of protestors on Sunday rallied near the Dolby Theatre where the 88th Academy Awards Ceremony is underway.

Led by Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and TV/radio talk show host, the protestors gathered peacefully around the crossing between Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue here as part of a series of nationwide demonstrations over a lack of diversity in the entertainment industry, Xinhua reported.

The Academy Awards has long been criticised as "White-dominated", although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a series of changes to its voting and membership procedures aiming to double its female and "diverse" membership by 2020.

A study of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) released early February found that minorities "remain under-represented on every front" of the industry, from film directors, film writers, motion picture and TV performers, to show creators.