LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of protestors calling for diversity in the entertainment industry rallied Sunday afternoon at a location not far from the Dolby Theatre where the 88th Academy Awards Ceremony is to be held in the evening.

Led by Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and TV/radio talk show host, the protestors gathered peacefully around the crossing between Sunset Blvd. and Highland Ave. as part of a series of nationwide demonstrations over a lack of diversity in the entertainment industry.

The Academy Awards has long been criticized as "White-dominated", although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a series of changes to its voting and membership procedures aiming to double its female and "diverse" membership by 2020.

A study of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) released early February found that minorities "remain under-represented on every front" of the industry, from film directors, film writers, motion picture and TV performers, to show creators.