Shirley Graham Du Bois
Encyclopedia
Shirley Graham Du Bois was an American
-born author
, playwright
, composer
, and activist for African-American and other causes, as well as spouse of noted African-American thinker
, writer
, and activist W. E. B. Du Bois.
, in 1896, but often gave her age as up to ten years younger. Her father was an African Methodist Episcopal
minister, and the family moved often. In June 1915, Shirley graduated from Lewis and Clark High School
in Spokane
, Washington.
She married her first husband, Shadrach T. McCants, in 1921, and divorced him in 1927. (In her memoir, however, she had asserted that she was widowed by 1925.) Their son Robert was born in 1923, followed by David in 1925. In 1929, she relocated to Paris, France to study music composition. She reasoned that this education might allow her to achieve better employment and be able to better support her children.
In the late 1940s, Graham became a member of Sojourners for Truth and Justicean African-American organization concerned with the global women's liberation. Approximately around the same time, she joined the American Communist Party
.
She and Du Bois married in 1951, the second marriage for both. They later emigrated to Ghana
, where they received citizenship
in 1961 and he died in 1963. In 1967, she was forced to leave after a military-led coup d'etat
, and moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she continued writing. Her surviving son accompanied her and worked as a journalist
.
She died of breast cancer on March 27, 1977 in Beijing
, China
, where she had gone for treatment.
.
Selections from her correspondence with her husband (both before and after their relationship began) appears in the three volumes, Correspondence of W.E.B Du Bois, and shows her to have a lively, engaging nature with quirks enough to rival those of her famous spouse.
Her books on Paul Robeson
and Kwame Nkrumah
are often seen as interesting by virtue of her personal knowledge of her subjects. She also wrote, with George D. Lipscomb, Vineyards in the Sun; a story about George Washington Carver
. Ironically, given her second husband's rivalry with her subject, one of her many books was a biography of Booker T. Washington
.
In addition to her biographies of black and/or third world personalities (Frederick Douglas, Gamal Abdul Nasser, Phylis Wheatley, Julius Nyerere
and many others), she composed a musical, Tom Tom, and also wrote three plays and a novel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and activist for African-American and other causes, as well as spouse of noted African-American thinker
Thinker
Thinker may refer to:*Intellectual, one who tries to use his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and activist W. E. B. Du Bois.
Biography
She was born Lola Shirley Graham in Evansville, IndianaEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, in 1896, but often gave her age as up to ten years younger. Her father was an African Methodist Episcopal
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
minister, and the family moved often. In June 1915, Shirley graduated from Lewis and Clark High School
Lewis and Clark High School
- History :In October 1883, Central School, a two story wooden building, was the first school located on the southwest block at Fourth and Steven Reynolds...
in Spokane
Spokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
, Washington.
She married her first husband, Shadrach T. McCants, in 1921, and divorced him in 1927. (In her memoir, however, she had asserted that she was widowed by 1925.) Their son Robert was born in 1923, followed by David in 1925. In 1929, she relocated to Paris, France to study music composition. She reasoned that this education might allow her to achieve better employment and be able to better support her children.
In the late 1940s, Graham became a member of Sojourners for Truth and Justicean African-American organization concerned with the global women's liberation. Approximately around the same time, she joined the American Communist Party
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
.
She and Du Bois married in 1951, the second marriage for both. They later emigrated to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, where they received citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
in 1961 and he died in 1963. In 1967, she was forced to leave after a military-led coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, and moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she continued writing. Her surviving son accompanied her and worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
She died of breast cancer on March 27, 1977 in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where she had gone for treatment.
Works
Her own books have been a little overshadowed by her husband's prodigious body of work, but His Day is Moving On and Du Bois: A Pictorial Biography (see further reading) are essential items for all Du Bois students, and she is herself the subject of a book, Race Woman, by Gerald HorneGerald Horne
Gerald Horne is an African American historian who currently holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. He received his PhD from Columbia University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a frequent...
.
Selections from her correspondence with her husband (both before and after their relationship began) appears in the three volumes, Correspondence of W.E.B Du Bois, and shows her to have a lively, engaging nature with quirks enough to rival those of her famous spouse.
Her books on Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
and Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
are often seen as interesting by virtue of her personal knowledge of her subjects. She also wrote, with George D. Lipscomb, Vineyards in the Sun; a story about George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
. Ironically, given her second husband's rivalry with her subject, one of her many books was a biography of Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
.
In addition to her biographies of black and/or third world personalities (Frederick Douglas, Gamal Abdul Nasser, Phylis Wheatley, Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985....
and many others), she composed a musical, Tom Tom, and also wrote three plays and a novel.
Quotes
"We are a race of artists. What are we doing about it?"
"Towards an American Theatre" (Arts Quarterly, Oct-Dec 1937)
Further reading
- Aptheker (ed) - the Correspondence of W E B Du Bois - Univ of Massachusetts Press, 1976
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - His Day Is Marching On : A Memoir of W E B Du Bois -Lippincott, New York, 1971
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Du Bois : A Pictorial Biography - Johnsons, 1978
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Zulu Heart - Third Press, New York, 1974
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - The Story of Pocahontas - Grosset & Dunlap
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Dr George Washington Carver, Scientist - Messner
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Julius K Nyerere, Teacher of Africa - Messner
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Paul Robeson, Citizen of the World
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Your Most Humble Servant
- Horne, GeraldGerald HorneGerald Horne is an African American historian who currently holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. He received his PhD from Columbia University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a frequent...
. Race Woman: The Lives of Shirley Graham Du Bois. New York: New York University Press, 2000. - Nishikawa, Kinohi. "Shirley Graham." The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature. Ed. Hans Ostrom and J. David Macey, Jr. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 652-53.
- Schmalenberger, Sarah, "Debuting Her Political Voice: The Lost Opera of Shirley Graham," Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 26 No. 1 (Spring 2006), p. 39-87.
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - The Story of Phyllis Wheatley
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham - Booker T Washington : Educator of Head, Hand and Heart, Messner, 1955
External links
- Shirley Graham Du Bois Papers.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.