Yes, Those Award Show Protest Speeches Do Work

After actor Natalie Portman braved the stage at the 2018 Golden Globes to introduce the nominated directors as “all male,” it wasn’t hard to find mocking stories in the media. Critics also went after the many women that night who wore black in solidarity with Time’s Up, the movement against sexual harassment that had begun a few days earlier.

Portman’s deft bit of activism, however, was just an appetizer for the Academy Awards two months later, when best actress winner Frances McDormand used her speech to promote “inclusion riders,” a provision in an actor’s or filmmaker’s contract that allows for a certain level of diversity in casting and production staff.