Hollywood Blackout: The Battle for Recognition in a White Hollywood

A Hollywood history told from the perspective of those that fought for diversity, inclusion and acknowledgement

On 29 February 1940, African American actor Hattie McDaniel became the first person of color, 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.

Author 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.

Whether you are a film fan, history lover or diversity advocate, Hollywood Blackout is the quintessential choice for all those who wish to know the real story of Hollywood, the Oscars and the talents who fought to make change.

Ben Arogundade is an author, fashion designer, model, voice actor, and broadcaster. His articles have been published by The Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Evening Standard, Elle, and Marie Claire, and he has provided the voice for the first audiobook of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and George Orwell’s essays for Penguin. He was a finalist in Australia’s Calibre Essay Prize and the winner of the general non-fiction award at the Indie Book Awards in 2019. His previous title, Black Beauty, was made into a three-part BBC documentary.