HFPA promises more black membership by next Golden Globes following criticism

HFPA has pledged to mend its ways after severe criticism over lack of diversity during this year's Golden Globe awards. 

Following the recent outcry, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Golden Globes, announced that it has unanimously agreed to increase its membership to at least 100 members this year, with a requirement that "at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists,"

According to EW, the HFPA's current membership stands at 87 Los Angeles-based journalists writing for overseas outlets. None of them are black.

"We should have done more, and sooner," the HFPA wrote in a statement.

The announcement comes hours after more than 100 Hollywood public relations agencies sent the association a signed letter advising them that they would be instructing their clients not to work with the HFPA until changes were made.

Hollywood calls out Golden Globes after HFPA vows to 'bring in black members'

In that letter, later posted on Twitter by ID PR, the firms demanded that the HFPA "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."

The letter further promised that until this "profound and lasting" change occurred, none of their clients would participate in HFPA events and interviews.

The HFPA has been under fire since The Los Angeles Times ran an exposé on the association's lack of diversity, a week before Golden Globes.

In its earlier statement, the HFPA stated: "We understand the importance of building a more inclusive organization and becoming more transparent in our operations, and these hires are an important first step. We remain committed to fostering an environment that better reflects our core values, affords us the opportunity to continue as valuable members of the entertainment community, and restores faith, trust, and confidence in our organization."

Following the commitment to transformational change, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced the hiring of two experienced, renowned advisors to assist with the implementation of its sweeping plan.

They announced that at the core of the HFPA’s plan to tackle diversity issues, they have hired Dr. Shaun Harper, a leading expert on racial equity as their Strategic Diversity Advisor for the next five years. 

They mentioned that they have also retained Ropes & Gray as outside counsel to conduct a comprehensive review of HFPA policies, assess membership process, operations, governance, and review our alignment with industry best practices in various areas.