At the Academy Awards, Ruth E. Carter made history by becoming the first Black woman to win an Oscar for costume design twice.
In recognition of her outstanding work on the costumes for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Carter, 62, won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Previously in 2019, she won the same award for her work on the costumes for the first Black Panther movie. Not only was this a massive achievement, but it also made Carter the first black woman to win two Oscars. Her first award was in the same category for the first Black Panther film in 2019.
On receiving the award, Ruth E. Carter delivered a heartwarming speech on stage. She began by thanking the movie’s director Ryan Coogler for his vision. The newly directed award winner appreciated the director and his counterpart, Nate Moore, for reshaping the representation of black culture.
During the speech, she thanked the Academy for recognizing black women as superheroes. The talented costume designer described the heroine, Ironheart as enduring, loving, and an overcomer. Ruth E. Carter also stated that Ironheart represents every black woman out there. She appreciated the artists she worked with to create the costumes for Talokan and Wakanda.
Carter informed the audience that her mother died the week before she got the award, and the film prepared her for that moment. In a very moving gesture, she asked the movie’s late protagonist Chadwick Boseman to protect her mother, Mabel Carter, who passed on a week before at 101.
In her awards category, Ruth E. Carter was up against industry giants. This includes Catherine Martin for her work in Elvis and Shirley Kurata for Everything Everywhere All at Once. She was also up against Mary Zophres for Babylon and Jenny Beaven for Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
You can see how Twitter reacted to Ruth E. Carter winning two Oscars below:
