Oscars 2020: 80 Years After Hattie McDaniel Became the 1st Black Academy Award Winner, Hair Love Somehow Became The Night's Only One
On February 29, 1940, Hattie McDaniel, arguably the most well-known black actress in the entire world at the time, took to the podium at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub inside the legendary Ambassador Hotel, in Los Angeles, to accept her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress-the first ever for a black entertainer.