Sarah Paulson Gives Passionate Speech On Immigrants After SAG Award Win

Sarah Paulson urged viewers to donate money to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in light of Donald Trump‘s recent immigration ban.

SARAH PAULSON SAG SPEECH

The actress was accepting the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series at the SAG Awards when she made the plea. “Any money you have to spare, please donate to the ACLU,” she said. “It’s a vital organization that relies entirely on our support.”

She took the time to speak about her despair surrounding the immigration ban. “It wasn’t a tough decision to come up with what I wanted to say. I mean, I am not an immigrant. I was born here,” she explained. “So in terms of how I can speak about it from a personal standpoint from my youth or something, [that] wasn’t available to me, so I just wanted to have an opportunity to mention the inclusivity that I think is required right now in general, and the ACLU to me represents that across the board. And they do really rely on funds from people like you and me at this time.”

The ACLU has already successfully challenged Trump’s executive order that bans immigrants from seven primarily Muslim nations from entering the United States. Paulson continued her speech by addressing her take on the various protests going on now. “It’s an odd thing, because this has been a very celebratory time in my life with my work being recognized, and at the same time it’s dovetailing with a very interesting time in our country,” she said. “And so even as I was getting ready tonight, as excited and honored as I was, I felt the duality of the celebration and also the seriousness of people who are at JFK right now, people who are at LAX right now, people who are at airports all over the country. It just feels like a grave time. So at the same time, I also feel very honored and proud, so I’m trying to find a place to put it where I can be celebratory and also give the day its appropriate weight.”

Additionally, Paulson spoke about celebrity status and how she is proud to use her platform to speak on political issues. “I do think silence is not golden at this particular time. I do think if you have a platform and a place to say it with a large audience that you can reach further, then you should take the opportunity,” she implored. “But I don’t want anyone to feel that they’re failing if they’re not doing it or if they forget to…”

The actress won her award for her work on The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. She has already won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics’ Choice Award for her portrayal of Marcia Clark in the show. “One of the most thrilling things about this has been the narrative shift in terms of how people hold Marcia Clark in their minds,” Paulson said previously. “And I feel very proud to be associated with that shift. I think it’s given her some peace, knowing that people do recognize that they got it wrong and they feel regretful about it and have said it publicly, to her in person.”