Hattie Caraway
You may have heard of her, but Hattie Caraway was the first woman to be elected to the US Senate. It was a very hard feat to achieve, considering just how many men are in politics, and even though women got the right to vote in 1920, it took years until they were represented in the senate.
Hattie Caraway’s husband was a prolific politician in the 1920s, and it was Hattie who worked behind the scenes on his campaigns. After he died, she was chosen to take over his seat in 1931. With a majority of votes (92% of them, to be more exact), Hattie Caraway became the first woman in the Senate in 1932, where she served for 14 years!
Hattie McDaniel
Speaking of amazing Hatties, our next one is just as incredible, but in another field! Hattie McDaniel was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award. And while nowadays, people are complaining about how these awards are given out (and there’s a lot of drama both on the stage and about the way the awards are given), imagine how it was back in 1939. Not the beacon of equality back then…
On the other hand, Hattie McDaniel accomplished what many thought was impossible. She was awarded the best-supporting actress award in 1939 for her role as “Mammy” in the film adaptation of “Gone with the Wind”.
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