Breaking the Barrier on a Day That Barely Exists

On February 29, 1940, a date that appears only once every four years, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award. She received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. The ceremony took place at the Coconut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. McDaniel was not allowed to sit with her white castmates. She was seated at a segregated table at the back of the room.

McDaniel was 46, a performer since childhood who had worked in vaudeville, radio, and film. She had appeared in over 80 films, almost always as a maid. She took the roles available and brought dignity to performances the scripts didn't deserve. Her Mammy was commanding, intelligent, and pragmatic. She stole scenes from actors with far more screen time.

Reactions were mixed. Some celebrated the breakthrough. The NAACP criticized her for accepting roles that reinforced stereotypes. McDaniel's response has been quoted since: she'd rather play a maid than be one.

gone with the wind 1967 re-release poster — the film for which mcdaniel won her historic oscar. source: wikimedia commons

The Oscar recognized talent while reinforcing the structures that limited it. McDaniel was honored by an industry that wouldn't let her sit with her peers. It took 24 years before another Black actor won, when Sidney Poitier took Best Actor in 1964.

McDaniel died in 1952 at 57. Her Oscar went missing after being donated to Howard University; the Academy issued a replacement in 2007. She broke a barrier on a day that barely exists, in an industry that barely acknowledged her. Firsts are rarely comfortable. They are simply first.