#20: Hattie McDaniel, First Black Oscar Winner
When: 11th Academy Awards, 1939
In the backdrop of Hollywood history, one name stands out as a trailblazer: Hattie McDaniel, the first Black Oscar winner. Her portrayal of Mammy in Gone With the Wind captivated audiences and sparked controversy in the racially charged landscape of 1939. But even on her momentous night, McDaniel faced the harsh reality of segregation. Bound by the hotel’s “no Blacks” policy, she was relegated to a separate table and was awarded a ‘plaque’ instead of a trophy.

Upon her death, she bequeathed her Oscar to Howard University, but its journey was anything but straightforward. After a decade-long disappearance, the statuette remains elusive, perhaps harboring its own untold story. Who knows, maybe Hattie’s plaque of an Oscar has gone through enough and just doesn’t want to be found…