Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar.
On February 29th, 1940, at the 12th annual Academy Awards, Hattie McDaniel took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Gone with the Wind. This made her the first Black Oscar winner in the awards show's prestigious history. In addition to being the first Black Oscar winner, Hattie McDaniel also had the distinction of being the first Black Oscar nominee for her role in Gone with the Wind.
While this ceremony was a historic evening for Academy Awards show, Hattie McDaniel was still facing oppression during this evening. The awards show took place at the Ambassador's Coconut Grove nightclub, which was whites only. The hotel allowed the actress to attend the event, but instead of sitting with the rest of the cast and crew, McDaniel was escorted to a segregated table, not allowing the recognized actress to celebrate with her collaborators on this historic evening.
In her speech, Hattie McDaniel considered this recognition to be "one of the happiest moments" of her life. She thanked everyone who played a part in her win that evening and claimed that accepting this award made her "very, very humble.” McDaniel concluded her speech by claiming her heart is "too full to tell" everyone just how she felt in that special moment and after whipping away a few tears from her eyes, the Oscar-winning actress left the podium.
The trailblazing work of McDaniel and other characters eventually leads to real and lasting change in the movie industry. Despite her success, she couldn't escape being typecast in offensive roles, with about 75 percent of her credited roles being some kind of domestic servant. She faced criticism from Black activists, including the NAACP, for perpetuating stereotypes, but was unable to get cast as any other character type.
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