Dorothy Dandridge: The First African-American Dream

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As an aspiring actress, I strive to reach my goal of lining the shelves of my multi-million dollar mansion with Grammys, Oscars, and Golden Globes. I dream of autographing pictures for my fans, posing for the paparazzi, and hanging out with other celebrities during after parties. I hope to work with top directors, accurately memorize scripts, gracefully dance to the rhythm of a song, and hit every high note in the recording studio. A dream of a lifetime would be selling millions of albums, performing in sold-out shows, and attending movie premieres where I have the leading female role. Before I walk down the red carpet, Dorothy Dandridge would show me the reality that happens backstage and behind closed curtains. Here I am, sitting on a vintage …show more content…

“If I were white, I could capture the world!”, she complained. Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the first African American to be on the cover of Life. This did not exclude her from prejudice. Searching for strong leading roles in movies that fit her talents was impossible, but positions as extras and background characters were always available. Directors offered Dandridge supporting roles as a slave, servant, or savage, but Dorothy declined. When Dandridge performed there were strict rules she had to follow. For example, she was forbidden to speak to the audience, ride the elevator, pass through the hotel lobby, gamble in the casino, and use the bathrooms. At nightclubs, Dorothy was given a storage space as a dressing room and a dixie cup as a makeshift bathroom. After a long day of work, Dorothy was not given the chance to relax in the swimming pool or else it would have to be drained for “health issues”. Dorothy Dandridge proved that on the road of life, many people will try to stop or prevent you from reaching your goal. She advises us to ignore that and keep moving

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