Hair Love earned an Oscar statue for Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday night.
Directed by former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry, the feature shows a Black father styling his daughter's hair for the first time.
In accepting the award, along with producer Karen Rupert Toliver, Cherry revealed, "We wanted to see more representation in animation. We wanted to normalize Black hair." He then shouted out DeAndre Arnold, a Texas high school senior who was told he couldn't graduate unless he cut his dreadlocks.
Cherry then ended with a dedication to Kobe Bryant, adding, "May we all have a second act as great as his was. Thank you." The two are the only former athletes to win Oscars in this category.
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