HFPA Promises to Admit at Least 13 Black Members This Year in New Golden Globe Commitment

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is pledging to admit at least 13 Black journalists into its ranks by the end of the year, the group behind the Golden Globes said Monday night.

“As a demonstration of our commitment,” the group said, “the board has unanimously approved a plan to increase membership to a minimum of 100 members this year, with a requirement that at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists.” The group, which has been under fire for snubbing Black-themed projects and having no Black members, currently has 87 members.

The HFPA board reiterated that it is “committed to making necessary changes within our organization and in our industry as a whole. We also acknowledge that we should have done more.”

The group’s outside legal counsel has begun to implement changes, the board added, “including a comprehensive review of our governance and code of conduct.”

The HFPA board has also begun to meet with advocacy groups to gather opinions on any additional reform that needs to take place.

“While we recognize this is a long-term process, we will continue to be transparent, provide updates, and have confidence in our ability to change and restore trust in our organization and the Golden Globes,” the group said. “As we do so, we invite others in the Hollywood community to join us in advancing racial equity in our industry.”

The announcement came hours after more than 100 Hollywood public relations firms demanded that the HFPA enact “profound and lasting” change or their clients will be pulled from participation in upcoming HFPA events.

The scathing email from the leading publicity firms in the entertainment industry to the HFPA read, “We call on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to swiftly manifest profound and lasting change to eradicate the longstanding exclusionary ethos and pervasive practice of discriminatory behavior, unprofessionalism, ethical impropriety and alleged financial corruption endemic to the HFPA, funded by Dick Clark Productions, MRC, NBCUniversal and Comcast.”