Anyone who watches The Oscars knows that celebrities tend to use their allotted acceptance speech time as a chance to bring attention to global issues. At this year’s award show, however, the speeches were relentless and unforgiving.

Gender Inequality and Immigration were just a couple of the social and economic issues addressed during the evening, and both speeches received a huge round of applause from the audience. It was a great night for all, not just Hollywood.

Graham Moore.

This speech was my favorite of the evening, so I felt it deserved to be put first. On the surface it seemed like a call to gay rights, however, it quickly became clear that is was a universal message for all. In his speech, Moore courageously admitted that he once tried to kill himself because he felt different and alone, something I’m sure we can all relate to on some level. He encouraged anyone feeling the same way to, “stay weird [and] stay different,” topping off an already perfect, inspirational acceptance speech.

Patricia Arquette.

This woman was unrelenting as she delivered a powerful speech about the need for gender equality in the United States. She didn’t officially address wage inequality until the very end of her speech, but when she transitioned from praising any woman who has had a child to the gender inequality problem, the crowd went wild. She even received huge praise from Meryl Streep and JLO who were furiously clapping and shouting “YES!” from their seats! I don’t think these three are struggling to pay their bills, but their passion for the issue is welcomed.

John Legend & Common. 

I think we all saw this one coming, but knowing it was about to happen didn’t lessen the impact. After accepting the award for their song, “Glory,” the two singers turned the spotlight onto the racial issues that have been prevalent throughout the nation. Legend commented, “We are the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men who live under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850.” This speech certainly reminded everyone watching of the recent events in Ferguson and New York.

Alejandro G. Inarritu. 

A native of Mexico, Iñárritu dedicated his acceptance speech for Birdman to immigrants (presumably legal) and his fellow Mexico natives. “I pray that we can find and build a government that we deserve, and the ones that live in this country, who are a part of the latest generation of immigrants in this country,” he states. This speech was probably the most controversial of the evening, given our country’s split opinion on immigration policies. But like all the other speeches, it brought an important social issue to the surface and likely gave hope to legal immigrants trying to make their way in the world.