Hattie McDaniel

Born 1893 · Joined the Ancestors 1952

Fact

First Black person to win an Academy Award

Fact

Accepted her Oscar at a segregated ceremony

Fact

First Black woman to sing on American radio

Hattie McDaniel became the first Black person to win an Academy Award when she received Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind" in 1940. She accepted the award at a segregated ceremony — seated at a small table at the back of the room, away from her castmates.

McDaniel was criticized by the NAACP and other Black leaders for playing stereotypical maid roles. Her response was legendary: "I'd rather play a maid than be one." She understood the constraints of her era while fighting to carve space within them.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, she was the thirteenth of thirteen children. She was the first Black woman to sing on American radio. Despite earning good money in Hollywood, restrictive housing covenants prevented her from living where she chose. She fought those covenants in court, helping to chip away at residential segregation.