Ruth E. Carter makes history as she becomes the first Black woman to win two Oscars

Costume designer Ruth E. Carter made history at the Oscar 2023 for her work on the Marvel sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." The 62-year-old won her second Academy Award for Best Costume Design and became the first Black woman to win more than one Oscar. According to Buzzfeed News, Carter won her first Oscar in 2019 for "Black Panther" and thanked "the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman." Her groundbreaking record comes after Denzel Washington became the first Black man to receive two Oscars in 2002, followed by Mahershala Ali in 2019. 

“I share this with many dedicated artists whose hands and hearts helped manifest the costumes of Wakanda and Talokan,” Carter said in her acceptance speech, referencing the fictional land and water kingdoms in the "Black Panther." “Together we are reshaping how culture is represented.” Carter was also Oscar-nominated in 1993 for "Malcolm X" and in 1998 for "Amistad." She was also nominated for an Emmy in 2016 for the show "Roots" reboot. In her speech, Carter revealed that her mother, who she described as a “superhero,” died at age of 101 and “became an ancestor.” Her work on Wakanda Forever, which depicted the death of King T'Challa upon the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, helped her to grieve her mother’s death.

“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman. She endures, she loves, she overcomes, and she is every woman in this film. She is my mother,” Carter said. “Chadwick, please take care of mom.” According to PEOPLE, Carter also thanked "Wakanda Forever" director-cowriter Ryan Coogler and co-producer Nate Moore for their "vision," adding, "Together, we are reshaping how culture is represented."

"The Marvel family, Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito and their arsenal of genius. Thank you. I share this with many dedicated artists whose hands and hearts helped manifest the costumes of Wakanda and Talokan," Carter said. "This is for my mother."

In an interview with PEOPLE in September 2020, Carter shed light on some of the moments she shared with Boseman while working on "Black Panther" and "Marshall." Boseman died on August 28, 2020, at 43, after a private years-long battle with colon cancer. "There was so much trust because we'd worked on Marshall together. There was so much trust when we started Black Panther," she said. "It was an incredible experience because he didn't doubt anything. He always greeted me with a smile, a hug, and cooperation." During her first fitting with Boseman for the suit of "Black Panther", Carter reflects on the moment the actor brought life into the costume.

"I had the pants suit in my office and it was dressed on a mannequin, and I thought, this thing doesn't look all that great, partly because the mannequin was weird," she recalls. "I called Chadwick in and I asked him to put the suit on — we needed to see if there were any problems or anything — and when he put on the suit and the helmet went on, it was like magic. I could see the power of these superheroes. I could see how they have an effect on people just because it's like they are a superhero." His work on "Black Panther" has forever immortalized the actor as a superhero, with Carter working towards creating the iconic costume that would go on to inspire millions.