“Until my fight at Columbia, no Black person had ever dared oppose the Establishment. You either kept your mouth shut and took the roles you could get or you remained out of work.” [2]
Scott’s masterful artistry in both jazz and classical music brought unique interpretations to both styles, advancing music directly and by inspiring others. Scott’s stylistic range and secondary talents earned her a vast audience to convey her virtuosity to.
This audience listened to Scott’s battles against discrimination and raised her voice through their respect and support. Scott’s deserved popularity bestowed her the power to negotiate for change.
Scott first used this power to let films capitalize on her stardom only if she could repudiate stereotypes. Her presence made it understood that prevailing caricatures were malicious miscommunications.
Scott asserted that Black people deserved dignity. While Hollywood may not have understood this simple message, they understood her seriousness and acted upon it, improving Black characters’ appearance and actors’ pay before banning her. Knowing she could survive without Hollywood, Scott began ongoing conversations that others could not.
Scott continued her fight by refusing to play for segregated audiences and suing for equality. She communicated explicitly and through her absence to bring public shame and loss of profits to businesses that did not understand the exigency of integration, directly assisting local resistance efforts that succeeded over time.
Although it became dangerous to acknowledge comprehension, Scott’s clear argument and sacrifice communicated to the public that HUAC was detrimentally un-American.
Scott’s powerful communication was key to understanding that discrimination was unacceptable and would be held to account. Where this did not lead to action, it primed listeners for the necessity of change.
Scott was an extension of fighting for justice in the cultural sphere working parallel to grassroots organizers. Jointly, the cultural and political fronts created lasting progress in integration and improving media representation that reverberates into current times.
Hazel Scott built on the contributions of many by furthering both music and civil rights in a lifetime of refusing to go unheard.
[1] Phil Carter, "Hazel Scott Star Talent of Coming Gershwin Movie," September 1, 1945
[2] Hazel Scott qtd. in Karen Chilton, Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist, from Café Society to Hollywood to HUAC, 2016
[3] Adam Clayton Powell III, Zoom interview by the author, May 12, 2021
Anita Dinakar
Starring Hazel Scott: Taking a Swing at Segregation
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