Hazel Scott

Hazel Dorothy Scott was a Trinidadborn jazz and classical pianist singer actress television pioneer and civil rights advocate Born on June 11 1920 in Port of Spain Trinidad she moved to Harlem New York as a child and became a celebrated prodigy studying piano at Juilliard at an unusually young age Known for her dazzling ability to swing the classics Scott blended classical technique with jazz improvisation and rose to fame at New Yorks Café Society In Hollywood Scott refused degrading roles and insisted on appearing as herself using her public image to challenge racist portrayals of Black women She also refused to perform before segregated audiences and used contract clauses to force venues toward integration In 1950 she made television history as the first African American to host her own TV show The Hazel Scott Show Her career was damaged by Red Scare blacklisting after she challenged accusations before HUAC Scott later lived and performed in Paris before returning to the United States She died in Manhattan on October 2 1981 Her legacy endures as a pioneering artist who fused virtuosity representation and activism