Fay Bainter, Presenter: I present the Academy Award for the best performance of an actress in supporting roles during 1939 to Hattie McDaniel.I came across this while looking for something else entirely; I'd never seen footage of McDaniel's acceptance speech.
[crowd applause as McDaniel walks to the stage and accepts the award]
McDaniel: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, fellow members of the motion picture industry, and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life. And I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of the awards, for your kindness—it has made me feel very, very humble. And I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. 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.
Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American person nominated for an Oscar, and the first African-American person to win an Oscar. She was also the first African-American woman to sing on the radio in America, and organized what (IIRC) was the first black acting troupe to perform for black regiments in USO shows during WWII.
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