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SPEAKER_02: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.Each day, we bring you the story of a woman from history who you may or may not know, but definitely should.Today, in honor of International Women's Day, I'm thrilled to say that we on the Womanica team are doing something special in partnership with iHeart's International Women's Day initiative, Women Take the Mic.So before we get to our regular episode, I'm going to take a couple of minutes to talk with a woman who inspires me daily. She literally and figuratively shaped me and Womanica co-creator Liz Kaplan.The woman of the hour is the one and only Kathy Manning, our mom.Kathy Manning has many, many impressive accomplishments to her name.Currently, she serves North Carolina's 6th District in the U.S.House of Representatives. In that role, she's one of 151 women in Congress.
In other words, women make up just 28.2% of the House and Senate.Given her role, I wanted to ask her a couple of questions about representation and sharing women's stories. Hi, Mom.Hi, Jenny.Thank you so much for doing this.My pleasure.We are recording for International Women's Day, and I'm curious, why do you think it's important to address gender inequality?Can you tell a quick story about how your experience as a woman has helped you serve your constituents better at the Capitol?
SPEAKER_01: One of the issues that we spend a lot of time talking about is the repeal of Roe versus Wade, all of the different abortion bans that have taken place in different states.Because I have had three children, because I have used a variety of contraceptive methods, because I've had genetic testing, and one test that I had with my first pregnancy is that came back with a potentially disastrous result where I didn't get the good result back until the 25th week in my pregnancy, I am able to look at the abortion issue with the experience of somebody who's actually had children, who's actually had to think through the potential of what I would do If I had a test result that came back in the 25th week showing that the fetus I was carrying had a genetic abnormality that was incompatible with life.And I understand these issues because I've lived through them.So many of the men who opine on this issue have very little understanding of how pregnancy works or how women's bodies work. or the kinds of challenges that a woman can face during a pregnancy that can put her life at risk, her health at risk, or the life of a fetus at risk.
SPEAKER_02: As you well know, on Womanica, we highlight the stories of women who've done all kinds of different things throughout history.Why do you think it's important to share women's stories?
SPEAKER_01: Often, when you study history, at least when I was growing up, The heroes that you hear about, the leaders that you learn about are all men.You might think that it's only been in recent history that women have done noteworthy things.But when you take the time to actually study the impact women have had on history in every facet of our lives, from science and medicine to the arts and culture and healthcare, women have had a critical impact of all facets of life, from all around the world for literally thousands of years.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I feel like one of the things I find most interesting is, and even a smaller scale, when I was a little kid thinking about what all the possibilities were as career options growing up, You know, you think of like what your parents do or what people you know in your community, what they do.But when you listen to something like Womanica, you realize there are infinite ways to be successful and make a difference depending on what your interests and skills and, you know, ideas are.So I think there's a benefit to both understanding better what's happened in the past and history and the impact women have had forever. and also the impact that women can have moving forward because there are so many more opportunities to make change or make a difference in ways that may not be considered the norm.
SPEAKER_01: So often, girls say that they can only envision themselves in a certain career path if they see someone who looks like them in that job.And by portraying the incredible things that women have done throughout history, And with that, on to the regular show.Thank you, Mom.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Jenny.This month, we're talking about women of sound.These women dominated the airwaves, innovating, documenting, and creating the audio landscape we live in today.
SPEAKER_04: What is in the news this week?
SPEAKER_00: Trial of the old Bolsheviks in Russia.You can have vegetables, lots of them, on your table next winter.
SPEAKER_02: Every day, listeners in the greater Pittsburgh area could switch on their radios to hear from today's womanikin.She was a compass on current events, a North Star on musical stylings, and above all, an architect of the early daily show format. To tune in, we're talking about Mary D. Dudley.Mary was born around 1912 in Homestead, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh.She was one of six children born to William and Mary Hunter Good.The kids would become bastions of Pittsburgh's Black community.James was one of the first Black men to operate a real estate firm in the city. William ran the only Black-owned 24-hour drugstore in the country.Ruth managed the same pharmacy.Mal was the first Black network television correspondent.
Alan worked at an esteemed news agency.And Mary would become the first African-American female disc jockey in the U.S.When Mary was growing up, you could find Black performers on the radio, the singing quartet known as the Southern Airs. Eddie Rochester Anderson and his comedy routines.
SPEAKER_05: The phone, didn't you hear the phone?Uh-huh.Well, why didn't you answer it?This is my day off.
SPEAKER_02: Or Hattie McDaniel on The Beulah Show.
SPEAKER_05: Everybody says I'm a girl that knows all the answers.The only trouble is, no one ever asked me the question.
SPEAKER_02: But there weren't Black-owned radio stations or Black DJs to tune into. But that didn't dissuade Mary.After attending Howard University, she enrolled in a school to study radio, where she graduated with high honors.In 1948, Mary got her chance.A local AM radio station, WHOD, opened up right in Homestead. Mary's original application to join the station's staff was turned down, but she didn't take no for an answer.She finally convinced the station manager to give her a shot.Mary could have a 15-minute slot if she could get a sponsor.In some stories, that sponsor was a local florist.In others, it was Rufus Sunnyman Jackson, co-owner of the black baseball team, the Homestead Grays.
Either way, Mary got that sponsor.And on August 1, 1948, she debuted her 15-minute show, Moving Around with Mary Dee.With it, she made radio history.Mary's show was so successful that within three days, it was extended to half an hour.In less than a year, WHOD gave her another half hour. By 1949, less than two years after joining the station, Mary's show ran for two hours daily.Moving Around pioneered a new radio format, a mixture of all sorts of audio with the fabulous Mary Dee conducting.She played new music by Black artists, brought on new local talent, and interviewed national celebrities like Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt, Sarah Vaughan, and Tony Bennett. It was a family affair, too.Her brother, Amal, ran a news segment reporting stories from the Pittsburgh Courier, a national Black newspaper.
He covered topics like police brutality, Jim Crow laws, and housing.Then, one of Mary's daughters, known on air as Little Dee, helmed the Teenage Express for younger listeners.Mary was a leader off-air, too.She gave away an average of 200 music records a month to hospitals and community centers. She made regular appearances at local clubs and teen centers and emceed talent shows to foster new talent.By 1951, Mary Dee was a staple of Pittsburgh society.She moved the show to the corner of Heron and Center Avenues.There, she broadcasted from behind a wall of windows in a studio she called Studio D. Passersby would be able to watch the show and put in requests in real time. Mary eventually reserved the last 15 minutes of the show for The Gospel Train, an all-request spiritual and gospel playlist.In 1952, the Pittsburgh Courier named Mary's show the most popular daytime show in the country.
It had garnered at least five fan clubs in the Pittsburgh area. By 1955, Mary was receiving 200 fan letters a day.Then, suddenly, WHOD was sold to new owners.It turned into a country and western music station overnight.But Mary was never one to get stuck in a dead end.She packed up her family and moved to Baltimore, where she hosted another radio show. In 1958, she took over a show at Philadelphia's WHAT radio station.Her program, Songs of Faith, became one of the station's most popular.Though Mary's name isn't very well known today, she was a powerhouse in radio in her own lifetime.She received countless awards for her work, not only from media associations, but also from cultural institutions.
She was one of the first Black members of the organization American Women in Radio and TV, She was also a part of the Greater Philadelphia Press Women and an active member of the NAACP's Philadelphia branch.In February of 1964, Mary was a runner-up for a Woman of the Year award.She appeared in person to accept the award despite being in ailing health.She died on March 17, 1964, after a long illness. All month, we're talking about women of sound.For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram, at Womanica Podcast.Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.We mentioned it at the start of the show, but the team here at Womanica is celebrating International Women's Day this week.For more programming honoring the incredible women at the network and worldwide, head over to iHeart Podcast's International Women's Day feed by searching Women Take the Mic, wherever you look for podcasts.
We're featured alongside Reasonably Shady, Very Special Episodes with Dana Schwartz, and others.That's Women Take the Mic on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.As always, we'll be taking a break for the weekend.Talk to you on Monday.
SPEAKER_03: Conair is spreading love and celebrating women, not just on International Women's Day, but every day with Conair Girl Bomb.Girl Bomb is their new line of powerful hair removal tools made just for us.Yeah.Whether it's the silky smooth skin or the empowering confidence boost you get, Conair Girl Bomb is here to amp up those positive vibes with some self-care.So to all the beautiful women out there, Keep shining, keep being you, and treat yourself to some Conair girl bomb magic.You deserve it.Available at a retailer near you.
SPEAKER_00: Ready to celebrate International Women's Day?M&Ms and iHeart present Women Take the Mic, sharing empowering stories of women supporting and celebrating each other. And of course, there is a smooth and creamy companion for your listening pleasure, peanut butter M&Ms, because they're just another way to help treat yourself in situations where you deserve a little added delight, like listening to your favorite podcast.So savor the deliciousness of peanut butter M&Ms and spread some positivity.From breaking glass ceilings to dominating in sports and entertainment, women truly are unstoppable.
