Black History Month Spotlight - Hattie McDaniel, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier

• On March 24, 2002, Halle Berry becomes the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a struggling widow who falls in love with her husband’s death row executioner in Monster’s Ball. Before Berry, the only African American actress to win an Academy Award was Hattie McDaniel, who earned the statuette for her supporting role in 1939’s Gone With the Wind as Mammy.
• At the Oscar ceremony, McDaniel and her guest had to sit at a segregated table. When Hattie McDaniel took the stage at the 12th Academy Awards in 1940, she was the only Black woman in the room. The same night Berry won her historic Oscar, Denzel Washington became only the second Black man to win in the Best Actor category, for his role as a corrupt Los Angeles police officer in Training Day. It was the first time at the Academy Awards that Black performers had taken home both of the year’s top acting awards.
• And Sidney Poitier shattered racial barriers in Hollywood, becoming the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964 for Lilies of the Field.