Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas, on June 10, 1893, the youngest of 13 children in a family that had come to Kansas after her father, Henry McDaniel, a former slave who fought in the Civil War with the 122nd United States Colored Troops, sought greater freedom and opportunity; after living in Manhattan, the family moved in 1886 to Wichita’s Black District, where financial hardship marked their lives before they left for Colorado in 1898. As a teenager, Hattie McDaniel discovered her gift for performance, winning a drama contest at age 15 with a rendition of "Convict Joe," then appearing in traveling minstrel shows before leaving high school in 1910 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became the first African American to win an Academy Award, receiving the honor on February 29, 1940, for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, though the segregation of the era remained evident both at the awards ceremony and at the film’s Atlanta premiere, where African American cast members were unwelcome. Despite acclaim, she continued to face discrimination in Hollywood, where she was limited in the roles and privileges available to her, even as she built a career as an actress, singer, songwriter, playwright, dancer, radio show host, and comedienne. Revered by many for breaking a racial barrier and criticized by some for the kinds of roles she portrayed, she endured hardship with dignity and grace, and after her death on October 26, 1952, drew an extraordinary public response that reflected her stature and influence.
