Tyler Perry, ‘Ma Rainey’ Oscars mention Alabama history in powerful speeches
Updated 8:01 AM;
Oscar winners brought Alabama to the ceremony Sunday night, with Tyler Perry and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” hairstylist Mia Neal referenced the state’s history during powerful acceptance speeches in Los Angeles.
Perry received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award “for his active engagement with philanthropy and charitable endeavors in recent years, including efforts to address homelessness and economic difficulties faced by members of the African-American community.”
Viola Davis, a nominee for playing Ma Rainey, presented Perry with the award. During his speech, he recalled an encounter with a woman who asked him for a pair of shoes, which he said reminded him of his own mother and experiences with homelessness.
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Black women make history at the Oscars
L-R: Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson and Sergio Lopez-Rivera won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” (Image source: YouTube/Variety)
Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson made history at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday, April 25, 2021, when they became the first Black women to win a Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar for their work on “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Neal, who was head of the hair department on the film, and Wilson, Viola Davis‘ personal hairstylist, first made history in March 2021 when they became the first Black women to be nominated for an Oscar in the category. They won along with Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Viola Davis’ personal makeup artist.
Perry is known for his generous activism and support of the Black and LGBTQ+ community.
The actor has previous supported grieving Black families who were victims of police brutality and created an LGBTQ+ youth shelter at his studio.
Starting his speech, the 54-year-old took a stand against hate: “My mother taught me to refuse hate,” he began, “she taught me to refuse blanket judgment.
“And in this time, and with all of the internet and social media and algorithms and everything that wants us to think a certain way, the 24-hour news cycle, it is my hope that all of us will teach our kids – just refuse hate. Don’t hate anybody.