Regina King lauds Derek Chauvin conviction at Oscars 2021, Travon Free slams cops for killing Black people
During the 93rd Academy Awards, director Travon Free used his acceptance speech to condemn police shootings. The 35-year-old, along with co-director Martin Desmond Roe, won Best Live Action Short for their drama 'Two Distant Strangers', a 29-minute film that explores the deaths of Black Americans in police encounters.
"Today, the police will kill three people," Free stated as he came to the stage to accept his award. Free, however, wasn't the only star to make a political statement during the event. During her opening monologue, actress Regina King praised Derek Chauvin's conviction for the murder of George Floyd.
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"Tomorrow, the police will kill three people. And the day after that, the police will kill three people. Because on average, the police in America every day kill three people. Which amounts to about 1,000 people a year," he said, adding: "Those people happen to be disproportionately Black people. I just ask that you please not be indifferent. Please don't be indifferent to our pain."
Earlier on the red carpet, Free made a political statement by displaying the names of Black people killed by police, including Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Rayshard Brooks and Daunte Wright, on the inside of his blazer. During her opening monologue, actress Regina King praised Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd. King won Best Supporting Actress for 'If Beale Street Could Talk' in 2019. The film is about resilient young love and the challenges pertaining to racism faced by Blacks in America.
King, 50, took to the stage and stated: "It has been quite a year, and we are still smack dab in the middle of it. We are mourning the loss of so many. And I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots." The 170 people in the audience lauded as King made her remarks
"Now, I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you. But as a mother of a Black son, I know the fear that so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes. That okay?" she continued as the crowd responded with loud applause.
"I want to say thank you to our ancestors who put the work in. Who were denied but never gave up. And I also stand here, as we break this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future," she said, "Because I can picture black trans women standing up here, Asian and Latina sisters, and indigenous women. And it won't be unusual or groundbreaking one day, it will just be normal."
With a record number of BIPOC nominees, this year's Academy Awards have been dubbed "the most diverse" in history, reports the Daily Mail. This year, nine of the 20 acting candidates are people of color, marking the first time in history that the best actor category isn't dominated by White people.
