The Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather for 1973 Oscars Mistreatment
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologized to actress Sacheen Littlefeather, 49 years after she was booed on stage for her speech on the mistreatment of Native Americans in Hollywood. On June 18, David…
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologized to actress Sacheen Littlefeather, 49 years after she was booed on stage for her speech on the mistreatment of Native Americans in Hollywood.
On June 18, David Rubin, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, wrote a letter addressing Littlefeather which was posted on the Academy’s website on Monday.
The letter titled “Statement of Reconciliation” reads:
“Dear Sacheen Littlefeather,
I write to you today a letter that has been a long time coming on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with humble acknowledgment of your experience at the 45th Academy Awards. As you stood on the Oscars stage in 1973 to not accept the Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, in recognition of the misrepresentation and mistreatment of Native American people by the film industry, you made a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity.
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.”
Rubin also wrote that they cannot realize the Academy’s mission to “inspire imagination and connect the world through cinema…without a commitment to facilitating the broadest representation and inclusion reflective of our diverse global population.”