The Oscars are a night full of funny jokes, awesome performances, and pretty dresses. However, the most important moments of the night were the ones that brought attention to social injustices, inequality, and represented those unable to represent themselves. Thank you to the following actors and actresses who used the Oscars as a platform to present such issues.
1. Steve Carell wears #HeforShe cufflinks on the red carpet
Most of us have heard about Emma Watson’s He for She campaign, which calls both men and women to become involved in the gender equality movement. Steve Carell showed his support by wearing He for She cufflinks to the Oscars. Watson wrote Carell a thank you note on Facebook, which you can read below:
2. Reese Witherspoon wants you to #AskHerMore
The #AskHerMore social media campaign brings attention to gender discrepancies at celebrity events. Instead of talking to reporters solely about fashion, actresses such as Amy Poehler and Reese Witherspoon want to discuss more important matters. The campaign is designed to remind women that their careers are more important than what they are wearing. On the red carpet, Witherspoon said “We’re more than just our dresses. We are so happy to be here and talk about the work that we’ve done. It’s hard being a woman in Hollywood, or any industry.” This is a reminder for all women to focus on what’s really important.
3. Taya Kyle, widow of Chris Kyle, represents her husband at the Oscars
As many of you know, American Sniper, the movie starring Bradley Cooper and nominated for Best Picture, is based off of real life veteran Chris Kyle. Kyle was killed in 2013. His wife Taya was stunning on the red carpet as she represented her husband, as well as military families everywhere. On Sunday she wrote this Facebook post:
“I am in beautiful Southern California courtesy of Warner Brothers who have been exceptional to work with in every aspect. Turns out they are like the fairy GodMother for a regular woman who has kids, a murder trial for her beloved and dear friend and am honestly exhausted. I wanted to support everyone who made this movie representing real veteran families, but I didn’t think I had the energy to show up at the Oscars,let alone be presentable. So, I find myself in a surreal position…like Cinderella who scrubs the floors but has a fairy Godmother (Warner Brothers) who got me on a plane and had a dress and jewelry and even the shoes and spanx waiting for me…And so it is. I am here. To represent my husband, military families and the beautiful people who put more than they had to to make this movie happen. I have a red eye flight scheduled to get me back for the trial on Monday morning. I am praying the impending ice storm in Texas doesn’t inhibit a safe trip home. I hope I look better for the evening tonight. I am blessed to have my beautiful loving sister with me to hold my hand and dry my tears from what is sure to be an emotional evening. It’s by the Grace of God and the support of people like you who literally give me the energy to get out of bed each day and see the beauty through the ashes of my life. I hope the same for all of you. We all struggle and we all have to find the strength to fight another day. I know I am not alone. The details may be different but our stories of fighting on, finding the strength to help ourselves and accepting the help of others when we can … Our constant fight to get on a path to renewal is always common ground – it’s the human condition. God Bless you all.
(Source)
4. Patricia Arquette calls for wage equality in Supporting Actress acceptance speech
This year’s Oscar for Best Supporting Actress went to Patricia Arquette for her role in Boyhood. During her acceptance speech, she made a quick but potent reference to gender inequality in the United States, especially as it pertains to wage. Her heartfelt cry for action reads as: “To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America!”
Best of all were Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez’s enthusiastic reactions, which you can watch below:
5. John Legend and Common receive a standing ovation for their performance of “Glory” from the movie Selma
Selma is based on the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, lead by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the Oscars, John Legend and Common performed “Glory,” a song from the movie, which brings attention to past and present issues of racism in the United States. The performance had audience members in tears, with lyrics such as:
“That’s why Rosa sat on the busThat’s why we walk through Ferguson with our hands upWhen it go down we woman and man upThey say, “Stay down” and we stand upShots, we on the ground, the camera panned upKing pointed to the mountain top and we ran up”
You can watch the entire performance here:
6. John Legend and Common give an outstanding acceptance speech regarding racial equality after winning Best Original Song
No one was surprised when “Glory” from Selma won the Oscar for Best Original Song. What was surprising was the emotional and powerful acceptance speech given by John Legend and Common regarding equality. Common struck and emotional cord by saying “The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the South Side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life, to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to those in Hong Kong, protesting for democracy. This bridge was built on hope, welded with compassion and elevated with love for all human beings.”
Legend then put Selma in perspective by saying “We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today. We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today then were under slavery in 1850.”
Their speech had plenty of audience members, including Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, and Chris Pine, in tears.
7. Eddie Redmayne honors the Hawking family and brings attention to ALS
Another touching speech came from Eddie Redmayne as he accepted the award for Best Actor. Besides being absolutely adorable, the speech brought attention to individuals suffering from ALS. Redmayne said “This belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family: Stephen, Jonathan, Jane and the Hawking children.” Redmayne played the role of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, which depicted Hawking’s battle with ALS. Redmayne said after the show that he would email Hawking that night, and later travel to Cambridge to see the family.
8. Julianne Moore brings attention to Alzheimer’s disease
Julianne Moore won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as an Alzheimer’s patient in Still Alice. While accepting her award, Moore said “I’m so happy, I’m thrilled that we were able to shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease. So many people who have this disease feel marginalized… People with Alzheimer’s deserve to be seen so we can find a cure.”
9. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of Birdman, requests better treatment of immigrants
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won the night’s most coveted award- Best Picture. Director Alejandro Inarritu did not give up this opportunity to comment on an important social injustice. Inarritu, who is from Mexico, spoke to “My fellow Mexicans. The ones who live in Mexico, I pray that we can find and build the government that we deserve. The ones that live in this country, who are just part of the latest generation of immigrants in this county, I just pray they can be treated with the same dignity and respect as the ones who came before and built this incredible immigrant nation.”