15/06/2019
The prodigiously-talented Hazel Scott—jazz pianist, film and TV star, and civil rights activist—was born on this day in 1920.
Recognized from a young age as a musical prodigy, she was awarded scholarships to attend Juilliard from the age of 8. She would become a popular jazz singer and pianist, resulting in film roles portraying herself and becoming the first black person to host their own TV show.
In 1949, she was refused service in a Washington State restaurant due to her race. She filed suit against the restaurant and her court victory helped pressure the Washington State legislature into passing a civil rights bill.
Scott also refused to perform at segregated venues, asking Time Magazine "Why would anyone come to hear me, a Negro, and refuse to sit beside someone just like me?"
However, in 1950, she was effectively blacklisted from entertainment at the height of McCarthyism. Scott appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee in an attempt to clear her name but her TV show was canceled a week later. A few years later, she would go into exile in France and would not return until the late 1960s.