Stacey Dash Calls For End Of Black History Month, BET

Stacey Dash, reacting to the swell of criticism about the lack of diversity in the 2016 Oscar nominations, expressed the controversial opinion that America should do away with Black History Month and BET (Black Entertainment Television).

Stacey Dash On Black History Month, BET

Dash, best known for starring in 90s cult class Clueless, now works as a pundit on Fox News. When asked about actors and filmmakers such as Will Smith and Spike Lee speaking out against the lack of diversity, and opting to boycott this year’s ceremony, Dash made it plain that she was not in agreement. Going further, she argued that those who are decrying the lack of nominations for African American men and women are essentially promoting a form of segregation.

“We have to make up our minds. Either we want to have segregation or integration, and if we don’t want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET [Black Entertainment Television] and the BET Awards and the Image Awards where you’re only awarded if you’re black,” Dash said.

Dash added, “If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It’s a double standard. Just like there shouldn’t be a Black History Month. We’re Americans. Period. That’s it.”

Dash’s remarks were met with a considerable amount of criticism, which she addressed on Twitter. “I Was Right Today on Outnumbered: There Should Be No Black History Month,” Dash wrote in her Tweet in which she tagged GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

While it was Jada Pinkett-Smith who first announced that she would be boycotting the Oscars, her husband Will Smith – who was expected to get a nod for his leading role in Concussion – quickly joined her.

“She’s deeply passionate and when she is moved she has to go. I heard her words and I was knocked over. I was happy to be married to that woman,” Smith said of his wife on ABC News, adding, “There is a position that we hold in this community, and if we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the problem. It was her call to action, for herself, and for me and for our family to be a part of the solution.”

As Smith pointed out in his interview, the biggest problem lies in the makeup of the Academy – 94% Caucasian and 77% percent male. Like Smith, Lee believes that the diversity of the Academy is the big problem that needs to be addressed.

“You can’t say hocus pocus, presto changeo, and the [Academy] membership is gonna change overnight,” Lee said on Good Morning America, speaking of the systematic problems in Hollywood and defending his decision to boycott the ceremony.