Betty Davis & Hattie McDaniel

I saw an article today about the actors Betty Davis and Hattie McDaniel that included this photo. I'm not sure why this information came to my attention but it did and it both troubled me and enlightened me. It made me feel good about Betty Davis who of course was an amazing character and also made me feel awful about America and the legacy of racism that overwhelms our nation today. Hattie McDaniel was a hero and during World War II she served as chairman of the Negro Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee that entertained black servicemen at segregated military bases. Betty Davis was the only white entertainer that participated in McDaniel's organization for which she was severely criticized. She was a hero too.

Hattie McDaniel who won an Oscar for her role in Gone with the Wind was not allowed to attend the premier of the film in Atlanta because it was held in a whites-only theater. At the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles she was forced to sit at a segregated table off to the side of the room.

She was the first black woman to sing on radio in America. Her final wish when she was dying was to be buried in Hollywood Cemetery which was denied because the graveyard was whites-only. This happened during my lifetime.

Both of her parents were slaves in America.

During World War II Betty Davis founded the Hollywood Canteen that free to active duty US servicemen but she demanded that it would be integrated. This would mean that black servicemen would be able to dance with white women. She caught a lot of heat for her stance but she succeeded in going against the Jim Crow laws and threatened to shut down the Canteen if it was not integrated. She won.

At the time even the USO was whites-only or blacks-only facilities. Sometimes I feel disgusted with the history of America. I guess that is being woke.