Nearly 50 years later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making things right withSacheen Littlefeather.
After the Indigenous actress and activist, 75, faced mistreatment at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, the institution has offered her an apology as they prepare to honor her at an event next month, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
“I was stunned. I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this. When I was at the podium in 1973, I stood there alone,” she said of turning down the Oscar for Best Actor on behalf ofMarlon Brandoand his performance inThe Godfather, using the speech tocall out the film industry’s treatment of Native Americans.
Michael Ochs Archvies/Getty; Araya Diaz/Getty
In addition to being threatened with arrest if her speech went over 60 seconds, as well as physical violence from John Wayne, who she saidattempted to storm the stage, Littlefeather has since faced public mockery over the years for the historic moment.
“You know, I never stood up onstage in 1973 for any kind of accolades,” she toldTHR. “I only stood there because my ancestors were with me, and I spoke the truth.”
Littlefeather, who is Apache and Yaqui, previously lost her husband Charles Koshiway to blood cancer last November. “His spirit is still here with me, and I know that what he wanted for me was always justice and reconciliation,” she said.
Sacheen Littlefeather.Bettmann Archive/Getty
In the apology letter, which was previously presented to her in June, then-Academy president David Rubin wrote in part: “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
Littlefeather will be honored during an event on Sept. 17 at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, where the statement of apology will be read in full, and she will participate in a conversation with producer Bird Runningwater, co-chair of the Academy’s Indigenous Alliance.
In 1990, Littlefeathertold PEOPLEof the fallout she faced in response to her Oscars moment. “I’m officially retired as the refuser of Academy Awards,” she said, noting that the speech killed her career in Hollywood.
“I went up there thinking I could make a difference,” explained Littlefeather. “I was very naive. I told people about oppression. They said, ‘You’re ruining our evening.'”
source: people.com
