We are very excited to announce this event with author, award-winning writer and broadcaster Ben Arogundade, who will be talking about his book Hollywood Blackout and the battle for recognition in a white Hollywood. Whether you’re a film fan, history lover or diversity advocate, this event is for all those who wish to know the real story of Hollywood, the Oscars and the talents who fought to make change.
About the book
On 29 February 1940, African American actor Hattie McDaniel became the first person of colour, and the first Black woman, to win an Academy Award. The moment marked the beginning of Hollywood’s reluctant move toward diversity and inclusion. Since then, minorities and women have struggled to attain Academy Awards recognition within a system designed to discriminate against them. For the first time, Hollywood Blackout reveals the untold story of their tumultuous journey from exclusion to inclusion; from segregation to celebration.
Ben Arogundade interweaves the experiences of Black actors and filmmakers with those of Asians, Latinos, South Asians, indigenous peoples and women. Throughout the decades their progression to the Oscars podium has been galvanized by defiant boycotts, civil rights protests and social media activism such as #OscarsSoWhite.
Hollywood Blackout chronicles the stories behind these bleak statistics, where minorities and women have struggled to be recognised within a system designed to discriminate against them. This is a book about the film industry, but it’s also about so much more and raises all the questions we need to be addressing as a society.
