Mahershala Ali, the star of the acclaimed film, Moonlight, gave a moving and insightful acceptance speech. Amazing how those in the arts are gifted with the talents, stage, and opportunity, to represent us in some of the best situations. We need to consider how to [a] treat the arts and [b] how we support the development of Muslim artists, even if every part or film they make isn’t The Message.
#Moonlight star Mahershala Ali gives a tearful acceptance speech #SAGawards pic.twitter.com/L45DPQUbeD
— Variety (@Variety) January 30, 2017
When we kinda get caught up in the minutiae—the details that make us all different—I think there’s two ways of seeing that: [1] there’s an opportunity to see the texture of that person; the characteristics that make them unique. [2] And then there’s an opportunity to go to war about it. And they say, “That person is different from me”, and “I don’t like you. So let’s battle’.