SAG WINNER, ACTOR MAHERSHALA ALI GIVES THE MOST MOVING AND GLOBAL MESSAGE OF THE NIGHT!
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The 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards were held Sunday night at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. The SAG Awards followed in the wake of President Trump’s Muslim ban and executive order to practice “extreme vetting” upon immigrants and refugees entering the United States. Many SAG Award-nominated celebrities were outraged by Trump’s actions, which led to an emotional and politically-charged night in Hollywood.
Mahershala Ali, who won for his supporting role in Moonlight, gave a personal and emotional speech about being a Muslim during Trump’s immigration ban. In his speech, Ali explained how the film Moonlight teaches acceptance of those who are different instead of persecution. Ali said, “I hope that we do a better job of that,” to the sounds of cheers and applause from the audience. Ali continued to say how each person is unique and that we must accept each other, rather than “go to war.” Ali revealed that his mother, an ordained minister, was not thrilled when he converted to Islam. Ali said, “We put things to the side, and I’m able to see her, she’s able to see me. We love each other, the love has grown, and that stuff is minutiae. It’s not that important.” You can watch the rest of Ali’s moving speech below.
Several other celebrities came to the SAG Awards with Trump’s immigration ban in mind. Kerry Washington and Simon Helberg both showed up on the red carpet with visual protests of the Muslim ban. Other celebrities who took the stage during the SAG Awards, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures), and David Harbour (Stranger Things) used the opportunity to address Trump’s actions and share poignant messages of unity. THE WANNA has gathered some of the most moving and politically-minded moments of the 2017 SAG Awards below for you to enjoy.
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