In the midst of a controversy surrounding accusations of lacking diversity relating to both race and gender, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences putting forth new initiatives to tackle the issue, according to CNN.
Recording Academy Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer Harvey Mason Jr announced the changes on Sunday in a memo sent to organization members that was obtained by CNN.
"Six months ago, when I put my hat in the ring to be your Chair, I did so because I believed that the Academy could do better -- could be better," Mason wrote in his message. "The music we create has always reflected the best of ourselves and our world. But what was true of music has historically not been true of the music business as a whole.
"Too often, our industry and Academy have alienated some of our own artists -- in particular, through a lack of diversity that, in many cases, results in a culture that leans towards exclusion rather than inclusion," he added.
The Academy plans to hire a dedicated diversity and inclusion officer, establish a fellowship that will independently report on the Academy's effort, create an annual fund to be distributed to "women in music" organizations, and more.
For more information, you can find the full CNN report here.
