Decades Before Oprah, Della Reese was the First Black Woman to Host a Talk Show

Della Reese isn’t just a successful singer or actress. Her legacy is far more profound: Reese was the first black woman to host her own syndicated talk show in the United States. This historic fact, though, has been reduced to a footnote in her biography for a simple, maddening reason.
No full episode of this show, which ran for 197 episodes between 1969 and 1970, exists in the public domain.

The program was historic. But why are the archives lost? For the Answer visit Atlas Obscura

Source: Decades Before Oprah, Della Reese was the First Black Woman to Host a Talk Show