Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis made history at last night’s Oscars

By 
·February 27, 2017

During last night’s Oscars, Viola Davis and Mahershala Ali stole the show and made history.

Davis won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Fences, making her the first black actress to take home three major acting awards (she’s previously won both a Tony and Emmy award), and she stole the show with her acceptance speech.

“People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies, exhume those stories, the stories of the people who dreamed,” she said. “I became an artist, and thank god I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life. So here’s to August Wilson, who exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.”

Mahershala Ali also made history when he won Best Actor in a Supporting Role, making him the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.

“I want to thank my teachers, my professors,” he said during his acceptance speech. “One thing they consistently told me […] was that it wasn’t about you. It’s not about you, it’s about these characters, you are a servant. You’re in service to these stories and these characters.”

He also gave a shoutout to his wife and his four-day-old daughter: “I want to thank her for being such a soldier through this process, and carrying me through it all.”

In addition to their respective history-making wins, the 89th Annual Academy Awards marked the most African-American actors to win in a single night since 2007.

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