NEW YORK — As protests erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd, every major entertainment company in Hollywood issued statements of support for the black community.

But as unanimous as that show of solidarity was, it was also clear that this wasn’t a fight Hollywood could watch from the sidelines. As the uproar over “Gone With the Wind” showed, the movie industry has a past — and present — to reckon with. At a recent protest in Los Angeles, actor Michael B. Jordan turned his focus to the studio headquarters around him.

“Where is the challenge to commit to black hiring? Black content led by black executives, black consultants,” said Jordan. “Are you policing our storytelling as well?”

Hollywood’s diversity and inclusion record has improved in recent years, but it still lags behind the population — particularly in its executive ranks. (It’s easier, Spike Lee has joked, to get a black president than a black studio head.) Statements and donations are good, many say, but Hollywood studios and production companies can speak far louder by green-lighting diverse movies — and re-examining those who do the green-lighting.

“This is a golden opportunity for Hollywood to look at itself in the mirror and decide what side of history it wants to be on,” says Darnell Hunt, dean of social sciences at UCLA.

UCLA’s annual Hollywood diversity report has found a notable increase in lead acting roles in the most popular films in recent years. People of color, data shows, often buy more than half of tickets to the most successful films.

But Hunt has also found a lack of systemic change. Some 93 percent of senior executive positions at major and mid-major studios are held by white people and 80 percent by men.

“When you have an industry that’s structured around white men in control, it echoes the white supremacy that’s at the core of the critique of policing right now,” says Hunt.

Five years ago, after the Academy Awards fielded all-white acting nominees, #OscarsSoWhite became a rallying cry. The industry and the film academy have changed since then but it hasn’t happened overnight. At this year’s Oscars, the South Korean film “Parasite” made history for non-English language films but the awards still featured only one acting nominee of color.

Now, at a defining moment for race in America, some industry leaders believe stronger steps are necessary. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week said it will make new inclusion standards for Oscar eligibility.

The debate recently stirred by “Gone With the Wind” only highlighted what’s at stake.

After pressure from filmmakers, HBO Max temporarily removed the 1939 film. “Gone With the Wind” is the highest grossing movie of all time, despite its glamorized portrait of slavery in the Antebellum South. When the film returns to the streaming service, Turner Classic Movie host Jacqueline Stewart will contextualize it.

Recent films like Ava DuVernay’s “Selma,” Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” and Lee’s just-released “Da 5 Bloods” have lent a corrective to history as seen in the movies. More are on the way.