Hattie McDaniel wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'Gone with the Wind,' the first Oscar awarded to a Black performer - though she was seated apart at the segregated ceremony.
At a Glance
- Date
- 29 February 1940
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Key people
- Hattie McDaniel
- Category
- Arts & Literature
- Source
- 12th Academy Awards (1940) · Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
What It Meant Then
It was a breakthrough shadowed by the indignities of Hollywood segregation.
What It Means Now
McDaniel's win is a landmark in the long struggle for Black recognition in film.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Hattie McDaniel Becomes the First Black Oscar Winner.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/hattie-mcdaniel-becomes-the-first-black-oscar-winner/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Hattie McDaniel Becomes the First Black Oscar Winner. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/hattie-mcdaniel-becomes-the-first-black-oscar-winner/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Hattie McDaniel Becomes the First Black Oscar Winner.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/hattie-mcdaniel-becomes-the-first-black-oscar-winner/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.