Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist, tells the audience at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, March 27, 1973, that Marlon Brando was declining to accept his Oscar as best actor for his role in “The Godfather.” Sacheen Littlefeather died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at her home in Marin County, Calif. She was 75.
Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist, tells the audience at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, March 27, 1973, that Marlon Brando was declining to accept his Oscar as best actor for his role in “The Godfather.” Sacheen Littlefeather died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at her home in Marin County, Calif. She was 75. Credit: AP FILE PHOTO

After reading the article in the Gazette “SacheenLittlefeather, actor who declined Brando Oscar, dies at 75” (Oct. 4, 2022) I felt a strong sense of empathy with Littlefeather because of the hurtful mistreatment she had received from members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences after speaking briefly at the 1973 award ceremony. She had bravely made herself vulnerable in expressing in an articulate and deeply personal way a message about the unfair treatment of American Indians, even under threat of arrest if she spoke for more than a minute. I was glad to see that, after almost 50 years, the Academy finally apologized to Littlefeather, admitting that the abuse that she had endured was unwarranted and unjustified and that her courage was finally acknowledged. It’s gratifying to see in life when a wrong is made right.

Sidney Moss

Northampton