Hattie, who had no choice, had to accept her award in a racially segregated hotel. However, the film’s producer, David O. Selznick's, managed to help her collect the award and as well, to give her acceptance speech accordingly.

BIOGRAPHY

Hattie McDaniel was born on June 10, 1895, in Kansas, the U.S. to two former slaves. The African-American actress was also a talented songwriter and comedian. She grew up in Colorado as the youngest of 13 children. With her father as a Baptist minister, Hattie performed in Black minstrel shows before moving to Los Angeles, where she eventually built a movie career in comedies as a sassy maid.

In 1934, Hattie landed her first major part in John Ford’s Judge Priest. This followed her film debut in 1932. In Judge Priest, she had the opportunity to sing a duet with Will Rogers.

Hattie McDaniel played a major role in efforts to end Hollywood’s stereotyping. Her role as a happy Southern servant in The Little Colonel (1935) made her a controversial figure in the liberal Black community. This activism consequently declined her Hollywood opportunities.

Hattie noted that she would rather play a maid in the movies than be one in real life. During the 1930s, she played the role of maid or cook in nearly 40 films, including Alice Adams (1935)- in which her comic depiction of a grumbling, far-from-submissive maid made the dinner party scene a memorable one.

Again in 1947, Hattie became the first African American to star in a weekly radio program when she agreed to play the role of a maid on The Beulah Show. In 1951, while filming the first six segments of a television version of the popular show, she had a heart attack. She recovered sufficiently to tape several radio shows in 1952.

"I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry”, "Hattie said tearfully upon receiving her Oscar award.

Hattie did not win any other higher award after her Oscar. It was not until 1964 that another African American won a competitive Oscar award.

Surviving with four husbands and 74 maid roles, Hattie later died on October 26, 1952, in California.  Her body was refused by a segregated ‘no-black policy’ Hollywood cemetery. Her statuette is missing, but her descendants remain devoted to her memory.

REFERENCE

Information from https://www.biography.com/news/sidney-poitier-black-actors-actresses-oscar-win, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hattie-McDaniel, https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/03/27/hattie-mcdaniel-academy-award was used in this story