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A small stumble at the Oscars Sunday night wasn’t going to stop Regina King from taking the stage with a strong statement as the mother of a Black son, just days after Derek Chauvin’s conviction in Minnesota.

“If things had gone differently in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots,” King said to open the Academy Awards after a sultry strut through Union Station in Los Angeles, filmed like movie credits.

In this video image provided by ABC, Regina King is seen at the opening of the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday.
In this video image provided by ABC, Regina King is seen at the opening of the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday.

“I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you, but as a mother of a Black son, I know the fear that so many live with. No amount of fame or fortune changes that.”

Regina King arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, at Union Station in Los Angeles.
Regina King arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, at Union Station in Los Angeles.

The Oscars were held less than a week after Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty on all counts of killing George Floyd in May 2020, a brutal, televised death that kicked off a summer of protests against police brutality.

With no official host, King kicked off the Oscars to announce the first few winners for best screenplay, adapted and original.