Jada Pinkett Smith took to her Facebook page, on a day that we celebrate Martin Luther King who gave his life fighting for the equal rights of all people. Pinkett has obviously had enough, and she eloquently took to her social media account to confirm that she will be boycotting The Oscars this year. After another backlash of the #OscarsSoWhite trended on twitter again this year, the actress along with Spike Lee have taken a stand to let the Academy know that black people are not going to beg them for their acknowledgment any longer.

In her video, Jada stated,

“Maybe it is time we pull back our resources and we put them back into our communities, into our programs, and we make programs for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit, that are just as good as the so-called mainstream,” she suggested.

Smith added that begging for acknowledgment is an “undignified act and that communities of color should not stoop to that level.”

“We are a dignified people and we are powerful — let’s not forget it,” she said. “So let’s let the Academy do them with all grace and love and let’s do us differently.”

Spike Lee has also confirmed through Instagram that he and his wife would not attend the show. Though he expressed his gratitude for the honorary Oscar he received last November, Lee took the Academy to task for the lack of diversity among this year’s nominees.

“#OscarsSoWhite… Again,” his post opened, in a direct reference to the again-trending hashtag, which was launched last year by Twitter user @ReignOfApril after actors of color were shut out of acting nominations.

Jada posed a question in her video that all people of color should take some time to ponder on in their own lives:
“Have we now come to new time and place where we recognize that we can no longer beg for the love, acknowledgement or respect, of ANY group; that maybe it’s time that we recognize that if we love, respect and acknowledge ourselves in the way in which we are asking others to do – that THAT is the place of true power.”

So eloquent, so classy; hopefully this year we will be watching Concussion while the Oscars are on.