The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Academy Museum, has recently announced the replacement of Hattie McDaniel’s historic Oscar award, which went missing 50 years ago.
Back in 1940, this trailblazing actress earned a plaque for her outstanding performance as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind,” securing her place as the first Black individual to be nominated and awarded this esteemed accolade. During that era, it was customary for supporting performance winners to receive a plaque rather than a statuette.
In a meaningful gesture, the plaque will find its new home at Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, presented during a special event named “Hattie’s Come Home” at the university’s Ira Aldridge Theater in Washington D.C. on October 1.
It’s a poignant fact that when McDaniel received her award, she was segregated from the film’s other nominee due to the prevailing racist policies of the time. Before her passing in 1952 from breast cancer, the comedian expressed her desire for the award to be bestowed upon the historically Black university.
