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Today we talk about the incredible life of Hattie McDaniel. She was the First African-American to Win an Oscar, but also, so much more. Season 3 features inspiring, gallant, even audacious stories of REAL 19th Century women from the Wild West. Stories that contain adult content, including violence which may be, disturbing to some listeners, or secondhand listeners. So, discretion is advised. I am Andrea Anderson and this is Queens of the Mines, Season Three.

From the early 19th to the early 20th century, minstrelsy was a popular form of American theater. Minstrel shows were based on the comic enactment of racial stereotypes. This tradition hit its peak between 1850 and 1870. The earliest shows were staged by white male traveling musicians mimicking the singing and dancing of slaves, with their faces painted black. Minstrel troupes did not welcome actual black performers until after the Civil War. And then, these minstrel shows were the only theatrical medium in which gifted Black performers of the period could support themselves. By the 20th century, women were also appearing in minstrel shows. On June 10 of 1893, Susan had their thirteenth child, a daughter. They named her Hattie. On the account of the family being so poor, Hattie was malnourished, weighing only three and a half pounds at birth. Although the McDaniel family often went hungry, they were tight-knit and creative.

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