Hattie McDaniel’s historic win for best supporting actress at the Oscars in 1939 for her role in “Gone With the Wind” is a significant moment in Academy Award history. Not only did McDaniel become the first African American to win an Oscar, but it took another 50 years before another Black actress received the same recognition. However, the whereabouts of McDaniel’s award has been a mystery for decades. Fortunately, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to create a replacement of McDaniel’s legendary Academy Award and donate it to Howard University, according to the AP. Unlike the iconic Oscar statuette, McDaniel’s award was a plaque, which was given to all supporting actors winners between 1936 and 1942.
After McDaniel’s passing in 1952, she bequeathed her Oscar to Howard University, where it was proudly displayed at the drama department until the late 1960s. Unfortunately, the plaque’s whereabouts became uncertain after that period, leading to various theories about its disappearance. One theory suggested that student activists threw the award into the Potomac River. However, this theory has been largely dismissed by a professor from George Washington University Law School, as reported by People. In a recent announcement, the film academy, along with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, revealed that they have created a replacement for McDaniel’s award, and it will now be housed at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University.
A ceremony titled “Hattie’s Come Home” has been scheduled for October 1 on the university’s Washington, DC campus to present the new Oscar. Jacqueline Stewart, President of the Academy Museum, and Bill Kramer, CEO of the academy, expressed their excitement about the event, stating, “Hattie McDaniel was a trailblazing artist who not only changed the trajectory of cinema but also influenced generations of performers who followed her. We are honored to present a replacement of Hattie McDaniel’s Academy Award to Howard University.”
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“This significant occasion will celebrate Hattie McDaniel’s exceptional talent and historic achievement,” the statement continued. During the 12th Academy Awards in February 1940, McDaniel was forced to sit at a segregated table far away from her white counterparts at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Upon accepting her award, McDaniel said, “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.” McDaniel tragically passed away from breast cancer at the age of 59 in 1952.
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