The Academy is replacing Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar that has been missing for 50 years

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is sending a replacement Oscar to Howard University for actress Hattie McDaniel, whose original award has been missing for 50 years.

Background: Hattie McDaniel, the first Black person to win an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1939 film Gone With the Wind, had her award disappear from Howard University’s fine arts building.
* McDaniel acted in over 300 movies and requested that her Oscar be moved to Howard University before her death from breast cancer in 1952.
* It is believed the award went missing in the late 1960s or early 1970s, possibly during a period of student unrest.

Reactions: The Academy expressed excitement about replacing the award.
* “We are thrilled to present a replacement of Hattie McDaniel’s Academy Award to Howard University,” stated Academy Museum Director Jacqueline Stewart and Academy CEO Bill Kramer.

Next steps: The replacement award will be housed in Howard’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and unveiled in a ceremony on Oct. 1, titled “Hattie’s Come Home,” to honor McDaniel’s life and career.
* Phylicia Rashad, the dean of the fine arts school, expressed joy over the return of the award to the college.

View original article on NPR

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