© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

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

Season 2024 Episode 57 | 3m 05s

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.

Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by Consumer Cellular and Cunard Cruise Line. For a complete list of funders for the PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour weekend, click here.
Extras
What Putin’s rejection of Ukraine’s call for talks means for efforts to end Russia’s war
Why hiring surged in May despite economic strain from the Iran war
What may happen as oil supplies dwindle and Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed
This chef will teach you how to make healthy $5 family dinners
June 5, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode
News Wrap: Senate passes $70 billion immigration enforcement bill
Brooks and Capehart on some Republican lawmakers’ defiance of Trump
Art exhibit shines light on women’s role in technologies that power modern life
Musical phenom introduces an old instrument to new audiences
New proposal would give Trump officials more control over scientific research grants