Angela Bassett delivers powerful speech accepting honorary Oscar
"But this honor isn't just for or about me."
Angela Bassett finally has an Oscar.
The beloved actress received an honorary Academy Award on Tuesday for her many contributions to the film industry at the 14th Governors Awards in Los Angeles, alongside fellow recipients including actor and filmmaker Mel Brooks and film editor Carol Littleton. Michelle Satter also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Bassett began her speech by shouting out her friends and family, including her sister D'nette, her longtime husband Courtney B. Vance, and their 17-year-old twins, daughter Bronwyn and son Slater.
"They have each, in their own way, made space in our lives to allow me the freedom to be a sister, a mother, a wife and and actor," she said of their support. "I love you wholly and deeply."
Bassett also paid tribute to "the women who shower me with heavenly love," including her late mother Betty and aunt Golden.
In her speech, Bassett reflected on the history of Black actresses in Hollywood and looked ahead to the future, noting that she is only the second Black actress to receive an honorary Academy Award, the other being Cicely Tyson in 2018.
Bassett looked back at how "Gone with the Wind" actress Hattie McDaniel became the first Black person to ever win an Oscar, and how Halle Berry is still the only Black actress to win in the best actress category.
The "9-1-1" actress gave flowers to the "trailblazing" Black actresses who have come before, as well as highlighted today's talented crop of Black actresses, whom she called "makers of history in our industry" and "beacons of possibility and hope for little Black and brown girls who aspire to one day pursue the dream of becoming an actor."
"But this honor isn't just for or about me," she continued. "What I hope this moment means is that we are taking the necessary steps toward a future in which it is the norm, not the exception, to see and embrace one another's full humanity, stories and perspectives. This must be our goal, and to always remember that there is room for us all. When we stand together, we win together."
Bassett, who has received two Academy Award nominations throughout her career, first for "What's Love Got to Do With It" and then for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," spoke to "Good Morning America" on the red carpet prior to receiving her honorary Oscar, and opened up about what it means to her.
"I hope it doesn't mean the end," Bassett told "GMA," breaking out in a laugh. "You know? Like, of all the things that it can mean, it can't mean that."
Bassett's "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and "Boyz n the Hood" co-star Regina King presented her with the honor and delivered a heartfelt speech to her longtime friend.
"Angela has lived a career for the ages, and I swear she is ageless," King said of Bassett, calling her a "national treasure" and "incomparable."
"So many times I've heard people say that Angela is the very embodiment of Black excellence, but let me correct that," King added. "She has a perspective and a voice and a beauty that is proudly Black, but what she embodies at her core is beyond anything that is skin-deep. She is artistic excellence embodied in human form."
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