The Affirmative Action and Diversity Department

Before there was Denzel, J. Lo or Lucy Liu, there were decades of struggle by those who believed what we see on screen should reflect the diversity of real life.

From the very beginning, Screen Actors Guild has represented a diverse membership. In 1933, Ralph Morgan, the grandson of a Venezuelan-born Spanish woman, became the first president of the Screen Actors Guild. Joining Ralph on the Guild’s first Board of Directors was the grandson of an East Indian woman, soon to become a horror-film legend: Boris Karloff.

Other early pioneers include Japanese silent film star, Sessue Hayakawa, Ramon Novarro, star of silent films and early talkies and Dolores Del Rio, star of silent films in the 1920s and talkies in the 30s, both Mexican. Even the legendary Rita Hayworth was born “Margarita Cansino” and had both Spanish-American and Irish-American ancestry.

The Screen Actors Guild has long advocated non-discrimination, fair representation and inclusion. Read up on the history of milestones and victories which today benefit every actor.

1930s: Awareness Begins

"There are two audiences to confront in America–the black and the white. The white audience definitely desires buffoonery, songs and dances from the black man, while the Negro audience wants to see and hear the real elements of Negro life exemplified." – Clarence Muse, African-American performer, December 1934, The Screen Guilds’ Magazine.

From its founding days in the 1930s, Screen Actors Guild has been concerned with the problems of inequality and the stereotyping of performers of color. In the December 1934 issue of The Screen Guilds’ Magazine (the SAG member publication at that time), veteran African-American performer Clarence Muse published an article that discussed the issue of representing African Americans on screen.

With growing dissatisfaction over the portrayal of African-Americans in the film industry, SAG began collecting articles in a file labeled "The Negro Question." The earliest item found in the file is an article from The Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper, published on October 22, 1938. In the article, the writer Ruby Berkley Goodwin, calls on African-American moviegoers to use the strength of their pen and paper to influence Hollywood.

1940s: Hopeful First Steps

“Now, therefore be it resolved that the Screen Actors Guild use all of its power to oppose discrimination against Negroes in the motion picture industry…”– from 1946 Resolution on Racial Inequality.

In the 1940s, awareness turned to action with the establishment of committees and agreements to address racial inequality in Hollywood. In November 1943, Lena Horne replaced Elisabeth Risdon on the Board of Directors, making her the first board member of color. In the following year, she was formally elected to the Board, along with another African-American actor, Rex Ingram.

After the end of World War II, issues of racial inequality on screen began to attract more of the board’s attention and concern. Betsy Blair, wife of Board member Gene Kelly, proposed a resolution on racial inequality that called for SAG to use “its power to oppose discrimination” and for a special committee that would “implement this policy” to be established. It was passed in the fall of 1946 – 992 in favor and 34 opposed.

As a result of this resolution, the Anti-Discrimination Committee was formed in November 1946. The committee, however, had a rocky start. It didn’t even have a chance to meet before it was dissolved at a Board meeting on March 10, 1947, but due to protests by many of SAG's African-American members, the Board revived the committee at the very next meeting, on March 24.

Because of the board’s efforts, by early August, major film producers had agreed to a negro casting agreement that pushed for accurate casting and non-caricatured roles. This agreement between SAG and the major film producers was even applauded in a feature editorial in the Los Angeles Daily News on September 4, 1947. But it was soon apparent that the producers were not keeping their promises.

1950s: Slow Progress

"...we must correct this situation ... by enlarging his [the Negro artist’s] scope and participation in all types of roles and in all forms of American entertainment – just as in American life, the Negro citizen’s role now extends from the kitchen to the United Nations." - William Walker, SAG Board member, November 1952.

The push for inclusion of African Americans in Hollywood continued, but progress was slow in coming. In 1952, the Negro Employment Committee was formed, and African-American actor William Walker was appointed to the SAG Board as a replacement for Robert Preston. He was later elected several times to the board, serving nearly 20 years, until 1971.

Also in 1952 another series of meetings concerning the type and quantity of roles offered to African-American performers were held with major producers. On May 7, 1953, SAG President Ronald Reagan and William Walker gave a presentation before the Screen Producers Guild.

Their appearance was widely covered in the media, but once again no significant improvements in the casting of African Americans occurred. In fact, by 1957, the number of African-American SAG members and extras actively seeking motion picture work, which had stood at 500 in 1945, had shrunk to 150.

On October 27, 1957, on Walker’s suggestion, Roy Wilkins, the executive secretary of the NAACP, spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Association of Motion Picture Producers.

In his speech, Wilkins read from a letter written by Darryl Zanuck to other film industry executives after a meeting between studio heads and Walter White, the leader of the NAACP at the time. In the letter, Zanuck expressed an understanding of the need for more realistic portrayals of African Americans.

Wilkins ended by noting the NAACP would seek, "...to see that 16 million Americans, struggling to attain their rightful place in the life of the nation and the world, are not handicapped by misrepresentation in a medium which speaks powerfully to people everywhere."

1960s: A Broader Perspective on Non-Discrimination

"The parties mutually affirm their policy of non-discrimination in the treatment of any actor because of race, creed, color, or national origin. In accordance with this policy, the Producer will make every effort to cast performers belonging to all groups in all types of roles, having due regard for the requirements of and suitability for the role, so that, for example, the American scene may be portrayed realistically." – SAG’s Theatrical Agreement of 1963.

The social and political activism of the 1960s meant progress towards inclusion in Hollywood. In 1963, a non-discrimination clause was negotiated into SAG’s Theatrical Agreement for the first time.

Perhaps because of the inclusive language of the non-discrimination clause, by the late 1960s, SAG recognized that other minority groups need the type of aid and protection African-American performers had struggled so long to achieve.

“Affirmative action" was no longer simply a black and white issue. SAG now stood for the interests of women, Latino/Hispanics, Asian-Pacific Americans, Native American Indians, seniors and the disabled. Each was clearly part of the "American scene" but badly neglected and underrepresented in casting for movies and television.

1970s: Formalized Diversity Activities

"...these years when I have been a Board member have seen notable changes in attitudes toward minorities as they are depicted on the screen, changes brought about in part by consistent exercise of the principle of equality on the part of the leadership of SAG. There is much to be done yet in this area of the attitudes people hold toward others who are different in background and color and in this the motion picture can play a weighty role, for I am convinced that there is no other medium as capable of affecting human behavior and thought as films." – Willliam Walker, in 1952 SAG Board resignation letter.

The 1970s brought a formal structure to SAG’s diversity activities. SAG responded to the need to centralize all the activity taking place among these distinct minority groups, and in February 1972, formed the Ethnic Minorities Committee. SAG President John Gavin appointed Robert DoQui as chairman of the committee, and the minority groups needing aid and attention were expected to report and take action through this new committee.

In 1977, SAG negotiated other key provisions into its contracts that still promote diverse hiring today. The first was the requirement that all signatories regularly report their casting statistics, which would provide a measure of progress concerning minority hires. The second was "American scene" language that called for non-discrimination in the casting of any actor because of race, creed, color or national origin.

1980s: Getting Serious About Compliance

Despite being contractually required to report casting statistics, the major studios and producers were not providing this crucial information. As a result, in the 1980 contract negotiations, monetary penalties were written in for failure to provide these badly needed statistics.

At approximately the same time, SAG became the first entertainment union to hire a full-time employee to assure producer compliance with the Affirmative Action provisions of our contracts.

1990s: Keeping the Pressure On

"Today producers would not dare to put an actor in black face, but the other ethnic groups have not completely won the right to play themselves ... we are keeping our eyes on the prize." – Sumi Haru, former Guild recording secretary and former chair of the EEOC, in the 60th Anniversary issue of Screen Actor Magazine.

In 1990, the Guild’s board of directors adopted a resolution recommending that performers of color receive preferential consideration for ethnic roles. During the 1990s, SAG began to collect casting data information for its television and theatrical projects. This information includes the race, gender and age of SAG performers cast in SAG projects. Annual reports and press releases begin to show the progress toward equal representation for all actors in the industry.

In 1999, SAG released a commissioned report entitled “Missing in Action: Latinos In and Out of Hollywood,” which focused on the under-representation of Latinos in the industry and the cost to business for not tapping into the Latino market. In addition, SAG continued to work with its diversity committees throughout the 1990s to examine and find solutions to under-representation in the industry for all its protected groups.

2000 and Beyond:

Greater Diversity The star power and grater visibility enjoyed by minority performers, such as Morgan Freeman and Salma Hayek, is a direct result of years of continued activism of individual minority groups, filmgoers and your Guild.

In 2000, SAG released two commissioned reports entitled “The African American Television Report” and “Still Missing: Latinos In and Out of Hollywood.” Through panel discussions, workshops, screenings, showcases, and meetings with the industry, the diversity committees continue to be vital to equal representation for all performers in the industry.

Today, the battle goes on, with Screen Actors Guild involved in its continuing mission to positively influence the entertainment industry through Affirmative Action policies and committees.