Los Angeles, Feb 23: Equality issues dominated the 87th Academy Awards with winners Alejandro G Inarritu, Patricia Arquette, Common, John Ledend and Graham Moore calling for women, gay, immigrant and African-American rights in their impassioned speeches.
Arquette, who took to stage to accept her best supporting actress win, reminded everyone that equality for women was still a dream.
"To every woman who gave birth, to every tax payer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights. It is our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America," Arquette said as fellow nominee Meryl Streep gave her a standing ovation from the audience.
Inarritu lauded the Academy, which has faced considerable flak for being all white, for awarding the best director trophy to a Mexican director second year in a row but also called for better immigration laws for his countrymen in the US.
"And the ones that live in this country, who are part of the latest generation of immigrants, I just pray that they can be treated with the same dignity and respect as the ones who came before and built this incredible immigrant nation," he said in his speech.
'Glory' musicians John Legend and Common left many in the audience teary eyed with their performance and acceptance speech following their best song win for "Selma".
"Recently, John and I got to go to Selma and perform 'Glory' on the same bridge that Dr King and the people of the civil rights movement marched on 50 years ago. This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation but now is a symbol for change. The spirit of this bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and social status," Common said.
Legend said: "The Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now, in this country, today. We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and justice is real."
Graham Moore, who won the best adapted screenplay Oscar for his World War II drama on Alan Turing, who was persecuted for his homosexuality, made a moving call to all the people who find it difficult to fit in.
"When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I'm standing here and, so, I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she's weird or she's different or she doesn't fit in anywhere.
"Yes, you do. I promise you do. You do. Stay weird. Stay different. And then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along," Moore said while paying tribute to Turing.
Both best actress and actor winners Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne dedicated their awards to Alzheimer's and ALS sufferers.
Reese Witherspoon, Arquette and Moore lent their support to the #AskHerMore campaign that encourages journalists to ask actresses more than just what they are wearing.
Director Laura Poitras, who won the best documentary feature Oscar for her Edward Snowden documentary "Citizenfour", thanked Snowden in her speech.
"Thank you to Edward Snowden, to his courage and many other whistleblowers," Poitras said.
Dana Perry, the co-director of Best Documentary Short winner "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1", called for greater public awareness of suicide.
Even Neil Patrick Harris took a jibe at the Academy in his opening monologue: "Tonight we honor Hollywood's best and whitest, sorry, brightest".
Political activism and Oscar speeches go hand-in-hand as Marlon Brando famously sent a Native American rights activist up to accept his best actor trophy while Michael Moore protested the war in Iraq during his Oscar speech.
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