Oscars Unity Party highlights cross-cultural community in Hollywood

Hollywood houses partnered to host the inaugural Oscars Unity Party and red carpet Sunday night, gathering activists and artists across racial and ethnic communities to watch this year's Academy Awards ceremony.

Annie Gonzalez, Diana Maria Riva, Jenny Yang, Julissa Calderon, Lisa Vidal and Sarah Jones co-hosted the party on March 10 at the NeueHouse Hollywood. The Latinx House created the event to celebrate the excellence of the Latinx, Black, Asian, and Indigenous communities, partnering with The Blackhouse Foundation, Gold House, Hispanic Heritage Foundation Harness, IllumiNative, and the NAACP to do so.

The 2024 Oscars had a few historic nominees that party attendees were especially eager to celebrate in the room together. Lily Gladstone was the first Native American woman to be nominated Best Actress for her role in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” And with his Belizean and Guatemalan ancestry, Colman Domingo was the first Afro-Latino ever nominated for Best Actor, as well as the second openly-gay man to be nominated for a gay character role.

Co-host Jenny Yang, a comedian who starred in “The Brothers Sun” on Netflix, said she was “so proud” of the nominees, and loves to see extraordinary work being highlighted at the Oscars. Yang also emphasized her wish to see more green-lighting and funding of diverse stories. 

“We need these development executives to support diversity and inclusion,” Yang said, “Hopefully, it’s not just a department name…we’re open to meetings and contracts,” Yang said. “Business affairs, holler!”  

Mónica Ramírez, founder of The Latinx House, said she was proud to build “a special space” for all the attendees.

“We should not be pitted against each other, we should be rooting for each other along the way,” Ramirez said. “It isn’t just about one of our communities, it’s about bringing all of us up together.”