Academy Award Speeches for the Win!

Hello All,

I love the Academy Awards. You never know what is going to happen – like Glenn Close twerking! (Some things you can not un-see! But props to her for doing that!) The fashions are usually fabulous, sometimes interesting. This year new records were set with the most diverse winners ever. What I really love? Award show speeches! They are often funny – thought provoking – touching – educational – inspirational – relevant. And this year’s speeches did not disappoint.

Chloe Zhao became only the second woman and the first woman of color to win the Best Director Academy Award. She offered her advice on her way of coping “when things get hard.” She shared the story about growing up in China and the game she would play with her father. They would “memorize classic Chinese poems and texts, and we would recite them together and try to finish each other’s sentences.” She then recited the first phrase from the Three Character Classic which translates into, “People at birth are inherently good.” She followed this with:

“Those six words had such a great impact on me when I was a kid. and I till truly believe them today, even though sometimes it might seem like the opposite is true. But I have always found goodness in people I met, everywhere I went in the world. So this is for anyone who has faith and courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves, and to hold onto the goodness in each other, no matter how difficult it is to do that.”

Hold onto the goodness in yourself – hold onto the goodness in each other. I love this message. I actually think we are more likely to do this for other people than we do for ourselves. So celebrate the goodness in YOU! And let’s make it our mission to hold onto the goodness in each other.

Tyler Perry, actor/director/mogul, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his incredible work during the pandemic. He helped people with their bills and with feeding people, combating the food insecurity that was (and still is) so prevalent  – surprising people in grocery stores by buying their groceries. He sited his own experience with homelessness as his motivation to help others. And he talked about his mother who told him to “refuse hate”.

“It is my hope that all of us will teach our kids – and not only to remember – just refuse hate. Don’t hate anybody. I refuse to hate someone because they are Mexican or because they are Black or White or LGBTQ. I refuse to hate someone because they are a police officer. I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian. I would hope that we refuse hate.” He further said he dedicated his award to “anyone who stands in the middle, no matter what’s around the walls. That’s where the conversation happens. That’s where change happens. It happens in the middle.”

Refuse hate – two small words – one powerful message. That is 100% within our personal control. Not listening to others when they start to hate – 100% within our control. And he is right – change does occur in the middle. It occurs when people sit and listen to each other – when people seek to understand – when people can shut out the noise and get to work! Let’s hope that collectively we get to work!

My favorite of the night though? Youn Yuh-jung, the first Korean and the second Asian to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Minari”. She was so warm, funny and genuine, and I loved how she went all fan-girl over Brad Pitt! (Right there with her! He is the bomb, even with his man bun!) She was so surprised with her win and so humble. “I don’t believe in competition. How can I win over Glenn Close? I’ve been watching so many of her performances . All the five nominees, we were winner for the different movie, we play the different role. So we cannot compete with each other. I have a little bit of luck, I think. I think I am luckier than you. Or maybe it’s the American hospitality for the Korean actor., I’m not sure.”

We were all winners – we played different roles – so we can’t compete. How many times have you wished that was how we all were? That we recognize that all of us play an important role – that we all contribute – that we all make a difference – that we are not in competition. It takes each of us, with our unique abilities and passions to make a difference in this world.

I will always take a little bit of luck too!

Phyl