10 History-Making Oscar Speeches from Black Actresses

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: Gone with the Wind
Winner: Hattie McDaniel

"Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science[s], fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests. This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of the awards for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel. And may I say thank you and God bless you."

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: Ghost
Winner: Whoopi Goldberg

"Thanks. Ever since I was a little kid I wanted this. You don't know. [Laughs] My brother's sittin' there, he says, "Thank God we don't have to listen to any more. You can do it now." My mom's home, everybody's watching.

I have to thank the people at Paramount. I have to thank Jerry Zucker for taking the time he took before he decided to use me, because it meant he was sure that it was for me. I have to thank Patrick Swayze, who's a stand-up guy, and went to them and said, "I want to do it with her." I want to thank Demi.

I want to thank everybody who makes movies. I come from New York. As a little kid I lived in the projects, and you're the people I watched. You're the people wanted—made me want to be an actor. I'm so proud to be here. I'm proud to be an actor and I'm gonna keep on acting. And thank you so much."

Category: Actress in a Leading Role
Film Title: Monster's Ball
Winner: Halle Berry

"Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm sorry. This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it's for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I'm so honored. I'm so honored. And I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing might flow.

I want to thank my manager, Vincent Cirrincione. He's been with me for twelve long years and you fought every fight, and you loved me when I've been up but more importantly you've loved me when I've been down. You have been a manager, a friend and the only father I've ever known. Really. And I love you very much. I want to thank my mom who has given me the strength to fight every single day to be who I want to be and to give me the courage to dream, that this dream might be happening and possible for me. I love you, Mom, so much. Thank you, my husband, who is just a joy of my life. And India, thank you for giving me peace because only with the peace that you've brought me have I been allowed to go to places that I never even knew I could go. Thank you. I love you and India with all my heart.

I want to thank Lions Gate. Thank you, Mike Paseornek, Tom Ortenberg, for making sure everybody knew about this little tiny movie. Thank you for believing in me. Our director Marc Forster, you're a genius. You're a genius. This moviemaking experience was magical for me because of you. You believed in me, you trusted me and you gently guided me to very scary places. I thank you. I want to thank Ivana Chubbuck, I could have never figured out who the heck this lady was without you. I love you. Thank you. I want to thank Lee Daniels, our producer. Thank you for giving me this chance, for believing that I could do it. And now tonight I have this. Thank you.

I want to thank my agents. CAA, Josh Lieberman especially. I have to thank my agents. Kevin Huvane, thank you. Thank you for never kicking me out and sending me somewhere else. Thank you. Um... I, I, I, who else? I have so many people that I know I need to thank. My lawyers! Neil Meyer, thank you. Okay, wait a minute. I got to take... seventy-four years here! I got to take this time! I got to thank my lawyer Neil Meyer for making this deal. Doug Stone. I need to thank lastly and not leastly, I have to thank Spike Lee for putting me in my very first film and believing in me. Oprah Winfrey, for being the best role model any girl can have. Joel Silver, thank you. And thank you to Warren Beatty. Thank you so much for being my mentors and believing in me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: Dreamgirls
Winner: Jennifer Hudson

"Oh my God. I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. If my grandmother--I didn't think I was going to win but, wow, if my grandmother was here to see me now. She was my biggest inspiration for everything because she was a singer, and she had the passion for it but she never had the chance, and that was the thing that pushed me forward to continue. But I'm so grateful to have my mother here celebrating with me. My boyfriend, my sisters and my brothers back home, and then I've got two of them here, thank you all for being here and supporting me. Also I'd like to thank Bill Condon, our director, who's a genius. Wow. Oh my God. Unbelievable cast. I'd like to thank the Academy. Definitely have to thank God, I guess, again. I can't believe this. Wow, I don't know what to say but I thank you all for helping me keep the faith even when I didn't believe. Thank you and God bless you all. [Music begins] Jennifer Holliday, too!"

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Winner: Mo'Nique

"First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics. I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all that she had to so that I would not have to. Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, because you touched it the whole world saw it. Ricky Anderson, our attorney of Anderson & Smith, thank you for your hard work. My entire BET family, my "Precious" family, thank you so much. To my amazing husband Sidney, thank you for showing me that sometimes you have to forgo doing what's popular in order to do what's right. And baby, you were so right. God bless us all."

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: The Help
Winner: Octavia Spencer

"Oh, thank you. Thank you, Academy, for putting me with the hottest guy in the room. I have to thank my families. My family in Alabama. The state of Alabama. My L.A. family, watching at Steven's* [unintelligible]. My "Help" family. Tate...Tate, Brunson, Kathryn, Allison Janney, thank you for being in my life. I share this with everybody. Thank you, Steven Spielberg, for changing my life. Thank you, Stacey Snider, for changing my life. Please wrap up....I'm wrapping up. I'm sorry, I'm freakin' out. Thank you, world. Oh god, and thank you to WME and Viewpoint L.A. I'm sorry guys. I love you. Thank you. I'm sorry."

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: 12 Years a Slave
Winner: Lupita Nyong'o

"Yes! Thank you to the Academy for this incredible recognition. It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's. And so I want to salute the spirit of "Patsey" for her guidance. And for Solomon, thank you for telling her story and your own.

Steve McQueen, you charge everything you fashion with a breath of your own spirit. Thank you so much for putting me in this position; it has been the joy of my life. I'm certain that the dead are standing about you and watching and they are grateful and so am I. Chiwetel, thank you for your fearlessness and how deeply you went into telling Solomon's story. Michael Fassbender, thank you so much; you were my rock. Alfre and Sarah, it was a thrill to work with you. Joe Walker, the invisible performer in the editing room, thank you. Sean Bobbitt, Kalaadevi, Adruitha, Patty Norris, thank you, thank you, thank you. I could not be here without your work.

I want to thank my family for your training, and the Yale School of Drama as well for your training. My friends, the Wilsons, this one's for you. My brother Junior, sitting by my side, thank you so much. You are my best friend. And Ben, my other best friend, my chosen family. When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from your dreams are valid. Thank you."

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: Fences
Winner: Viola Davis

"Thank you to the Academy. You know, there's one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place. And that's the graveyard. People ask me all the time, "What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?" And I say, exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist, and thank god I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life. So here's to August Wilson, who exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.

And to Bron Pictures, Paramount, MACRO, Todd Black, Molly Allen, Scott Rudin for being the cheerleaders for a movie that is about people, and words, and life, and forgiveness and grace. And to Mykelti Williamson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Jovan Adepo, Saniyya Sidney, for being the most wonderful artists I've ever worked with. And, "O captain, my captain," Denzel Washington. Thank you for puttin' two entities in the driving seat: August and God. And they served you well.

And to Dan and Mae Alice Davis, who were the, and are the center of my universe. The people who taught me, good or bad, how to fail, how to love, how to hold an award, how to lose. My parents. I'm so thankful that God chose you to bring me into this world. To my sisters. My sister Deloris, who's here, who played Jaji and Jaja with me. We were rich white women in the tea party games. Thank you for the imagination. And to my husband and my daughter, my heart, you and Genesis. You teach me every day how to live, how to love. I'm so glad that you are the foundation of my life. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you."

Category: Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Title: If Beale Street Could Talk
Winner: Regina King

"To be standing here representing one of the greatest artists of our time, James Baldwin, it's a little surreal. James Baldwin birthed this baby and Barry, you nurtured her, you surrounded her with so much love and support. So it's appropriate for me to be standing here, 'cause I'm an example of what it looks like when support and love is poured into someone. Mom, I love you so much. Thank you for teaching me that God is always leaning, always has been leaning, in my direction. G'moses(?). They'll ask me about that later. Um, so many people to thank. Chelsea Barnard, who brought this project to Annapurna. Megan Ellison. Annapurna. Plan B. This amazing cast. My sisters in art: Marina, Amy, Emma, Rachel. Has been an honor having my name be just said with yours this whole step of the way. It's been pretty amazing. The Rivers family: KiKi, Colman, Teyonah, Stephan. God is good all the time."

Category: Academy Honorary Award
Winner: Angela Bassett

"... this honor isn't just for or about me. What I hope this moment means is that we are taking the necessary steps toward a future in which it is the norm, not the exception, to see and embrace one another's full humanity, stories and perspectives. This must be our goal, and to always remember that there is room for us all. When we stand together, we win together."