Since the announcement of the 87th Academy Awards nominees on Jan. 15, many have claimed that the academy displayed blatant racism and sexism by deciding against nominating Ava DuVernay for Best Director and David Oyelowo for Best Actor (both for the film “Selma”). Referencing a 2013 study by the Los Angeles Times, critics claim that the Academy, a group composed of 93 percent white people and is 77 percent male, would not nominate DuVernay or Oyelowo because they do not relate with the picture’s theme.

In fact, only one of the nominees for Best Director is not a white male. All Best Actor and Actress nominees are white, and all nominees for Best Screenplay (both adapted and original) were written by males. There is an obvious lack of diversity in this year’s Academy Awards nominees.

It is important to note that the Academy has recently recognized films made by both women and minorities. Last year, “12 Years a Slave” won Oscars for best picture, best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay. In 2010, “Precious” had wins for best supporting actress and best original screenplay and Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for best director for her work on “The Hurt Locker.” Even this year, there was Academy-nominated Alejandro González Iñárritu, hailing from Mexico, for best director. With these examples, it would appear recognition has been given to minority and female films in recent years, but truly, these films have only received a small fraction of the total awards handed out every year.

This might appear to be a racist conspiracy to most people. I disagree. I think it should be blamed more on the fact that the majority of writers and directors in Hollywood are traditionally white males. They are going to relate better to the stories told by the people they have the most in common with. It is going to be easier to understand and write for a white protagonist because they are themselves white. It is unfortunate that this is the case, but it is a harsh reality we are facing.

Obviously, the best way to counteract this trend is to encourage minorities and women to pursue careers in the film industry. The greater the number of minorities producing films, the greater the chance of an Oscar nomination with movies focusing on their stories. As recently as 2011, 87.7 percent of films made in Hollywood were directed by white people, and only 4.1 percent of films were directed by females, according to a study done by the University of California, Los Angeles. This leads to a smaller pool of films that celebrate the stories told by minorities and women.

A recent twitter hashtag, “#OscarsSoWhite” openly criticizes the Academy’s choice to not nominate DuVernay and Oyelowo, accompanied with comments regarding the lack of diversity in this year’s Academy nominations. While it is well-intentioned, the hashtag “OscarsSoWhite” is actually hurting the cause. The hashtag certainly raises awareness that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, but it does not encourage a solution that might help to resolve the problem. Instead, it encourages a division between people instead of encouraging partnerships to find a solution.

The sharp jabs at the Academy incited by the hashtag are going to result in resentment from both women and minorities, instead of working toward a solution that will encourage everyone to put their voices into films. Minorities and women should be encouraged to become involved and represented in film and media. An increase in the number of films made with minority and women directors, writers, producers, editors, actors and actresses will result in more minorities winning at award shows.

Ultimately, there is a need for more women and minorities to be represented in the film industry. This representation is what will stop the trend of white male domination of Hollywood.

While it is easy to look back and criticize the past, we should also take a moment to realize the great progress that women and minorities have made in recent years in the film industry.

More African Americans have been nominated for and won Academy Awards during the past 20 years than all previous years combined. Even if this year has resulted in a slight regression, diversity continues to be on the increase in films being produced, and there is nothing the Academy can do to stop it. As more and more minorities and women become an active part of the industry, they will make more films that are awarded nominations and trophies from the major award shows. We, as a society, should take every opportunity to support the minority and female filmmakers of tomorrow by encouraging them to pick up a camera or start writing a script, because that is the best way for us to reach equality in the film industry.