Daniel Kaluuya went home with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night for his role as the late Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
It was the first Oscar win for the “Get Out” star, who also won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor earlier in the awards season.
“To chairman Fred Hampton,” Kaluuya said during his acceptance speech. “What a man. How blessed we are that we lived in a lifetime where he existed.”
Fred Hampton was 21-years-old when he was killed in a multi-agency sting operation in 1969.
“Thank you for your light,” Kaluuya added. “He was on earth for 21 years, and he found a way to feed kids breakfast. Educate kids, give free medical care, against all the odds.”
Kaluuya continued his speech by honoring the Black Panther Party and their impact on both himself and the Black community at large.
“They showed me how to love myself, and with that love, they overflowed to the Black communities and to other communities,” Kaluuya said. “They showed us that the power of union, the power of unity, that when they play divide and conquer, we play unite and stand.”
“There’s so much work to do,” he added. “That’s on everyone in this room. This ain’t no single man job. I look at every single one of you. We’ve got work to do.”
Kaluuya finished up his speech by expressing his gratitude to his parents for having sex — to embarrassed laughter from his mother and sister in the audience.
In the press room after his win, he asked “Is that gonna live on?”
“That just came out of my mouth. My mom’s probably gonna text me some stuff, but here we are.”
“Judas and the Black Messiah” is still showing in select theaters and available to purchase on all streaming platforms.
