It should come as no surprise that Sarah Paulson won a SAG Award [1] for her portrayal of Marcia Clark in American Crime Story [2]. The real surprise came during her acceptance speech [3], when she urged everyone to donate to The American Civil Liberties Union [4] in a bid "to protect the rights and liberties of people across this country." The ACLU, as you may or may not know, has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump [5] in light of his executive decision to enact an immigration ban. Once Sarah Paulson got back to the press room, she was even more vocal about the importance of speaking out in the current political climate under Trump. Read her empowering quotes below.

• On her decision to mention the donation in her speech: "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 . . . 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."
• On being in the spotlight at such a sensitive time: "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 . . . 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."
• On whether she feels pressured to speak out as an actress: "I don't think that anyone should feel pressured to do anything about anything . . . I think we should all now be able to speak our minds as we see fit. 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. But I don't want anyone to feel that they're failing if they're not doing it."