It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she'd worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. This historic night was going to be life changing. Or so she thought. Months after her win, the Oscar curse set in -- Hattie couldn't find work. She was thrust between two worlds -- Black and white -- but she wasn't welcomed by either. Whites saw her only as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal. As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and others like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily.
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