by Vanessa Cort 
IT has been almost 100 years since the first woman of colour appeared on the “big screen.’ And though she did so in 1929, Nina Mae McKinney remained in relative obscurity until last year, 55 years after her death, when New York’s Film Forum mounted a three-week retrospective on the nearly 20 films the actress made in the course of her career.

Following in the footsteps of this woman, who has been described as “one of the most dynamic actresses to ever grace the screen,” is our very own Letitia Wright – humble and gifted – who we all proudly welcomed back home two weeks ago.

The 29-year-old Guyanese-British Actress, who received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Guyana and the Key to the City from the Mayor of Georgetown, during her whirlwind visit, began her career 10 years ago.

She has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the NAACP Image and BAFTA Rising Star Awards, but was catapulted to fame for her portrayal of Shuri in the cinematic blockbuster – Black Panther:Wakanda Forever.

However, the journey of Black women in the movie world has been neither rapid nor easy. In fact, both male and female Black actors have had to surmount seemingly impossible odds to achieve acceptance in a white male-dominated industry.

Perhaps the greatest battle Black women in film have fought is against being cast in stereotypical roles, which has been the case for the better part of half a century.
In his article on the subject, scholar, Edward Mapp, refers to “the steady procession of mammies, maids, matriarchs, madams and assorted “make-it-for-money” types, which were the only roles available to Black women.

Nina Mae McKinney was cast in the role of temptress in her ground-breaking appearance in the black musical ‘Hallelujah,’ in which she seduced a poor Black cotton picker, relieving him of his cash, while another Black actress, Dorothy Dandridge, is known to have built her career on such roles.

She achieved limited success when she was nominated for an Academy Award as best actress in a leading role, for her performance in Carmen Jones in 1954. But instead of “opening doors” for her, the nomination resulted in the actress being sidelined and treated as if she did not belong in the industry.

And when McKinney died in 1967, her death certificate listed her as “widowed” and a “domestic servant,” though she fought against being cast in the latter role during the course of her career.

It is ironic too that she and the other light-skinned actresses like Dandridge and Lena Horne, were able to get the parts of leading ladies denied to other dark-skinned women.

The “colourism” in Hollywood was further compounded in movies like “Imitation of Life” and Showboat, where the leading Black characters sought to hide their roots and attempted to “pass” as white because of their fair skin.

As writer, Mapp, put it” “The sexual dimension of American racism is reflected in the motion picture portrayal of the Black woman. Her film image has been defined by others rather than by herself.”

It was not until pioneering African American producers, directors and screenwriters began to make their presence felt in the late 1900s that Black actors and actresses were given roles with positive images, shown primarily to Black audiences.

Filmmakers like Zora Neale Hurston, Tessie Souders and Eloise Cist rebuked Hollywood for its bias, while actresses like Evelyn Preer and Fredi Washington began acting in independent Black films offering a greater variety of roles.

Many of these names are little known outside of the industry, but their persistence and determination forced Hollywood to relent and slowly begin to allow talented Black actresses a chance to appear on screen in roles which allowed them to showcase their skill, intelligence and wit.

Yet, although Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American woman to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress back in 1939, it took until 2002 for a black actress, Halle Berry, to receive an Academy Award for Best Leading Actress and she remains the only one to have done so to date.

However, while women of colour seem to have been relegated to the position of only being credited with awards for supporting roles, a string of actresses, like Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis and Angela Bassett have turned in performances worthy of the highest accolade and have made an indelible mark on the industry, paving the way for others like Letitia Wright.

In an interview locally, the actress, who has herself been faced with challenges on her way to stardom, said: “The industry is not to play with…you can get lost in it.”

Referring to her homecoming as “beautiful” and “overwhelming,” she spoke freely of a faith in God, which has kept her grounded and which she credits for her successful career and achievement in Wakanda – receiving the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

I am sure I speak on behalf of all Guyanese when I wish Ms. Wright continued success in her career and even more inspiring roles on the “big screen,” and here’s hoping she visits us again in the not-too-distant future.