Mahershala Ali Becomes The First Muslim Actor To Win An Oscar

“I want to thank my teachers, my professors,” the Moonlight actor began. “One thing they consistently told me […] was that it wasn’t about you. It’s not about you, it’s about these characters, you are a servant. You’re in service to these stories and these characters.”

Ali went on to thank Moonlight director Barry Jenkins and the film’s cast and crew. He also nodded to his wife and daughter, who was born four days ago.

“I want to thank her for being such a soldier through this process, and carrying me through it all,” he said, in an elegant kickoff to the night.

He made history with this win

Mahershala Ali is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar after the White House has placed travel restrictions on individuals from several Muslim-majority nations. This win also makes Ali the fifth black actor to achieve a Supporting Actor Oscar.