HAZEL SCOTT #BlackHistoryMonth

Hazel Scott was a Trinidadian born jazz and classical pianist, singer and actor. She was the first black American to host her own TV show, “The Hazel Scott Show”. The show was notable for being one of the first U.S. Network television series to be hosted by any person of African descent. Unfortunately, the show did not last long and her American career suffered due to her outspoken advocacy of civil rights and her refusal to perform before segregated audiences. She testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy era and became a target.

Hazel Scott used her career in the US to improve representation of black Americans in film while she could. She eventually moved to Paris to continue her career, joining the black expatriate community. She returned to the United States much later.