Twitter isn't letting the Academy wash over how it treated the late Hattie McDaniel, the history-making actress who won the Best Supporting Actress Award in 1939, becoming the first African American to be nominated for and win an Academy Award.
In a two-part tweet Tuesday (February 1), the Academy posted about the the actress-singer's landmark win for her role in Gone With The Wind, posting part of her acceptance speech in the process.
But Twitter didn't let the award show governing body forget how they treated the Wichita, Kansas native in the process –– and what little progress they've made in the 83 years since.
"Y'all treated her like sh–t though," one user wrote in response to the Academy's message, with another cautioning the organization to "pace themselves" on honoring Black Oscar winners, "You're gonna run out of notable moments in Academy Black history by Friday."
Others pointed out how McDaniel wasn't even allowed to attend the premiere of the film, or sit with her co-stars in the segregated Cocoanut Grove nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel, despite her taking home an award. Instead, McDaniel was relegated to a side room where she sat and accepted her award.
In its nearly 100-year history, only 20 Black actors and actresses have won Oscar Awards.
The late Sidney Poitier would be the next Black actor to take home the award after McDaniel, over two decades later in 1963.
In 2002, Halle Berry became the first –– and still only –– Black woman to win the Award for Best Leading Actress.
Jennifer Hudson and Mo'Nique won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis took home the award in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Regina won the award in 2018 for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk.
Hattie McDaniel passed away in 1952 at the age of 59.
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