I was a child of eight when I saw Carmen Jones. From the moment Dorothy Dandridge sashays into the cafeteria dressed in a black off-the-shoulder blouse and a red skirt with a slit up to there, wearing a seductive smile with the most beautiful sultry inviting eyes, there has been no other star of her sex appeal and talent for me.

If ever an actress deserved the Academy Award, it was Dororthy Dandridge for her great dramatic performance in Carmen Jones. She didn't act the part of Carmen, she was Carmen. It is our great loss that this beautiful and talented actress and nightclub performer was so mistreated both personally and professionally that died broke and forgotten.

We owe a debt of gratitude to her biographers and Halle Berry for giving her the recognition she deserves. Hollywood can right a wrong by presenting a special award to a special woman - Dorothy Dandridge, who broke down barriers and achieved a series of firsts in an effort to express her great skill and talent as an actress. Although I am a white woman, she was my role model, and I count myself among the many who will never forget this lovely lady.