The former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association sent an email calling Black Lives Matter a racist movement, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times on Tuesdays.
The former president of the association that presents the Golden Globes awards, P.Hil Berk, also described Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, as a “ self-proclaimed ‘trained Marxist’ in the email, which, according to the Times, addressed the members, staff and general counsel of the press association was sent and chief operating officer, Gregory Goeckner.
Berk, who had served eight terms as the organization’s president, also has one article entitled “BLM Goes Hollywood” in the email. Berk did not name the source for the story, but it came from cunservative commentator David Horowitz’s Freedom Center website, FrontPage Mag, according to the Times.
The article Berk shared addressed the fact that Cullors bought a $ 1.4 million home in California after national outrage and protests against racial injustice last summer.
The Golden Globes for this spring’s awards ceremony had been criticized for a lack of nominations both this year and historically for black performers. It is part of a criticism that has also been leveled at other award ceremonies.
This year’s Golden Globes winners included several black performers, such as Daniel Kaluuya for supporting actor for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah, and Andra Day for best actress in the United States versus Billie Holliday. The late Chadwick Boseman also won Best Actor for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
HFPA board members openly responded to Berk via email.
The HFPA told LA Times in a statement: “Since its inception, the HFPA has been committed to bridging cultural connections and creating greater understanding of diverse backgrounds through film and TV. The views expressed in Mr. Birch distributed articles are those of the author of the article and in no way reflect the views and values of the HFPA. The HFPA condemns all forms of racism, discrimination and hate speech and finds such language and content unacceptable. “
The Hill has reached out to Black Lives Matter to comment on Berk’s comments.