Awarded for his perseverance. Plays the race card. Names people who supported him.

“As a Black man in the criminal justice system, I felt anger, I felt sadness, hurt, surprise. When they snatched me up out of my apartment in handcuffs, I didn’t feel like all that,” the actor said, gesturing to the screen that had just played a highlight reel of his onscreen performances. “I didn’t feel like Jonathan Majors, Mr. Creed, Mr. Kang; I felt like a little scared, weak boy, despite the support and evidence that was in my favor, I knew shit was bad. And it was bad because of who I was and what I am. This is what happens to Black people all too often.”

The actor made the comments while being honored at the fourth annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards, hosted by Tiffany Haddish and held in the Beverly Hilton’s ballroom. The brainchild of media personality and Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee, the Impact Awards “were created to honor influencers, celebrities and icons who have made a lasting impact on the culture.”

Specifically, Majors was singled out for his trophy as “an individual who has shown that no matter what adversity they face, they will continue to aspire to inspire.”

Of “perseverance,” Majors said that “the God I serve has put me in a position where I’ve had to embody that word more than I wished or wanted to. We live in a world where men, Black men in particular, are propped up as either superheroes or super villains,” but noting he’s realized that he’s neither of those.