The 2015 Academy Awards took place Sunday and there were some highly political Oscar speeches. Patricia Arquette winning for Best Supporting Actress, spoke about women’s rights, saying, “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America.” Graham Moore who won for Best Adapted Screenplay spoke about suicide, while Best Director and Picture winner Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu spoke about immigration. Iñárritu urged that new immigrants to the United States be treated with “the same dignity and respect of the ones that came before and built this incredible, immigrant nation.” John Legend used his Best Song victory to chime in on civil rights: “We know that the voting rights, the 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 than were under slavery in 1850. “ Were the political voices from the podium a refreshing alternative to the usual Hollywood congratulations, or was it too much for the audience? Jackie Koppell discusses it on the Lip News.
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