Butterfly McQueen was a Black American actress best known for her performance as Prissy in Gone with the Wind(1939). Originally named Thema McQueen, she adopted the name Butterfly after appearing in the Butterfly Ballet in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. During her career, Black women were often portrayed on screen as maids, enslaved women, or comedic sidekicks. McQueen rejected these types of roles and eventually stepped away from acting. In 1975, at the age of 64, she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the City University of New York.