Sacheen Littlefeather gets Academy apology 50 years after 1973 Oscars ‘abuse’

nypost.com:

onstage at the 1973 Academy Awards ceremony on behalf of Marlon Brando.The now-75-year-old was booed, laughed at and heckled for refusing Brando’s award for Best Actor in “The Godfather.” Now, almost 50 years later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has offered her a formal apology.“The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” wrote academy President David Rubin in the note. “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,” he continued. While a letter was sent to Littlefeather in June with a brief apology, an event at the Academy Museum will be held on Sept.

17 for the amends to be read in full.She will also be a part of a conversation with producer Bird Runningwater, co-chair of the academy’s Indigenous Alliance.“Regarding the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very patient people — it’s only been 50 years!

We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. It’s our method of survival,” Littlefeather said in a press release on Monday.“I never thought I’d live to see the day for this program to take place, featuring such wonderful Native performers and Bird Runningwater,” she continued.