Skip to main content
Back to Show
PBS News Hour

The story of Granny Hayden, a Black midwife and former slave

Mary Stepp Burnette Hayden was born into slavery on a plantation in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She remained there after being freed in 1865, going on to become a midwife. In this animated feature from our partners at StoryCorps, Hayden’s granddaughter Mary Othella Burnette tells her great-granddaughter, Debora Hamilton Palmer, about their family matriarch.

Support Provided By
Season
October 10, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 10, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 9, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 9, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 8, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 8, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 7, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 7, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 6, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
56:45
October 6, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 5, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
October 5, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
October 4, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
October 4, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
October 3, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 3, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 2, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 2, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 1, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
October 1, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
September 30, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
September 30, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
September 29, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
September 29, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
Active loading indicator