Mahershala Ali just became the first Muslim actor in history to win an Oscar

By Isha Aran | February 27, 2017 | 2:02am

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Well, despite Jimmy Kimmel’s utter failure to bring the searing, painful Trump roasting that we all kind of expected, the Oscars have kicked off on a very strong note, perhaps inadvertently making quite a statement about the world. Mahershala Ali won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Moonlight, and he became the first ever Muslim actor to win an Oscar.

Earlier this month at the SAG Awards, when he won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (his first SAG Award!), Ali gave a powerful acceptance speech about persecution and about his experience as a Muslim interacting with his Christian mother. Congrats to the Oscar winner (and new dad!).