Nina Mae McKinney - by Tamara Angela
Goddess Energy and Black History Month
Nina Mae McKinney
b. Nannie Mayme McKinney
June 2, 1912 or 1913, Gemini, Lancaster, SC
d. May 3, 1967, NYC
Nina is credited as the 1st Black actress to have a lead role in Hollywood talkie films.
Her first role was in the Oscar nominated Hallelujah! (1929). It was the 1st all Black cast, sound musical.
She ends up with a 5 year MGM contract for leading roles. She ends up doing 2 films: Safe In Hell (1931) and Reckless (1935).
She realizes her worth and soon begins to refuse to do film premiers because she would show up and her name wasn't on the marquee at the premiere. When she spoke up, the white press deemed her money hungry and a disgrace to her race.
So she moved overseas as many Black performers did. She was the 1st Black actor/actress on British TV screens.
Nina also did Broadway appearing in Blackbirds with Bojangles and Sanders of the River with Paul Robeson.
Robeson made it clear that he would not do film where Black people or Africa was shown in a negative light. The film was half shot in Africa and he made sure that Africa appeared in a positive light.....
And the white execs went ahead and edited it to continue to make Africans appear demonic, savage like, and uncivilized. Which many Black people still buy into today about our own people....as well as white folks. But this is Black History Month, so I'm going to talk to my own people about how they continue to believe stereotypes perpetuated by White Hollywood execs to sell films and propaganda.
Anyway....
Nina had a pretty great career overseas but came home to take care of her ailing mother. She did more Broadway shows and continued acting until her death in 1967.
She is considered "The Black Garbo"....which I hate because they won't see us unless they juxtapose us to White women to make our beauty more palatable.
Her voice was also dubbed to use use for Jean Harlow's singing parts in movies.
Nina was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1978.
ncG1vNJzZmiskaKus63Ap56epJFjwLau0q2YnKNemLyue89opaKmkWK6orGMppqkoZ6jsro%3D