Sacheen Littlefeather has lastly acquired a long-overdue apology from the Academy Awards.
Almost 50 years in the past, the actress and activist accepted the very best actor Oscar on behalf of “The Godfather” star Marlon Brando, who boycotted the 1973 ceremony in protest of Hollywood’s destructive portrayals of Native Individuals. Littlefeather delivered a speech on his behalf, which was roundly mocked and booed by some members of the viewers.
Now, Littlefeather will likely be honored at “An Night With Sacheen Littlefeather,” which the Academy of Movement Photos Arts and Sciences describes as “a really particular program of dialog, reflection, therapeutic and celebration.” The occasion, introduced Monday, will likely be held Sept. 17 on the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.
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Littlefeather acquired a non-public apology letter in June from the Academy of Movement Photos Arts and Sciences. “The emotional burden you’ve got lived by and the price to your personal profession in our business are irreparable. For too lengthy the braveness you confirmed has been unacknowledged,” the letter learn, signed by the Academy’s then-president David Rubin. “For this, we provide each our deepest apologies and our honest admiration.”
Littlefeather, 75, instructed The Hollywood Reporter in a narrative revealed Monday that she was “shocked” to obtain a proper apology.
“I by no means thought I’d dwell to see the day I might be listening to this, experiencing this,” Littlefeather stated. “After I was on the podium in 1973, I stood there alone.”
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Littlefeather turned the primary Native American lady to talk onstage on the Oscars. Sporting a buckskin costume and moccasins, she delivered a 60-second speech explaining that Brando couldn’t settle for the award due to “the therapy of American Indians as we speak by the movie business.”
Her message was met with loud boos, in addition to applause. In an interview with The Guardian final yr, Littlefeather recalled that actor John Wayne was within the wings throughout her speech and tried to “forcibly” take her off stage: “He needed to be restrained by six safety males to forestall him from doing so.”
The 1973 Oscars have been held in the course of the American Indian Motion’s two-month occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, which Brando referenced within the speech she delivered. Within the years since, Littlefeather has stated she’s been discriminated in opposition to and personally attacked for her transient look.
Contributing: Jake Coyle, The Related Press
