Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977

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Shirley (Graham) Du Bois was a political activist, writer, playwright, and composer. She was born in 1896, the only daughter of five children of David A. and Etta (Bell) Graham. Her father, a minister of the African Methodist Episcopal church, was appointed president of Monrovia College, Liberia, in 1926.

Du Bois had two sons, Robert (b. 1923) and David (b. 1925), from an early short-lived marriage. In 1931 she entered Oberlin College to study music. The following year, her musical drama, "Tom-Tom," was performed in Chicago. It was described by a critic as "the first all-black opera to be produced on a large [scale]." She was later appointed director of the "Negro Unit" of the Chicago Federal Theatre, where she put on successful productions such as "Little Black Sambo" and "Swing Mikado."

Du Bois was a prolific writer. She published many biographies on prominent African-American figures, including Frederick Douglass, Paul Robeson and Phillis Wheatley. A political activist, she married W.E.B. Du Bois in 1951 and they worked together to improve the lot of underrepresented groups in the United States, increasingly through their involvement in leftist causes and groups, probably including the Communist Party of the U.S.A. In 1961, they emigrated to Ghana where they lived together until his death in 1963. Du Bois continued to live in Ghana, developing a national telecommunications infrastructure at Ghana Television. In 1966 she left Ghana to live in Cairo, Egypt. Du Bois died of cancer in Beijing, China. For further biographical information, see Gerald Horne's biography, Race Woman: The Lives of Shirley Graham Du Bois (2000).

From the description of Papers, 1865-1998 (inclusive), 1905-1975 (bulk). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232009062

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977. Papers, 1865-1998 (inclusive), 1905-1975 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977. Elijah's ravens : a comedy in three acts / by Shirley Graham. Hofstra University Library, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
creatorOf Walker-Hill, Helen. Collection. 1887- Columbia College Chicago
referencedIn Ovington, Mary White, 1865-1951. Mary White Ovington papers, 1854-1948. Wayne State University. Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs
referencedIn Aronson, James,. James Aronson/W.E.B. Du Bois collection, 1946-1983. University of Massachusetts Amherst, W.E.B. Du Bois Library
referencedIn National Council of American-Soviet Friendship Records, 1919-1990 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
creatorOf Dodson, Owen, 1914-. Garden of time / Owen Dodson ; a production book. Yale University Library
referencedIn Guide to the Abbott Simon Papers, 1932-2002 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Simon, Abbott. Abbott Simon papers, 1937-2000. Churchill County Museum
creatorOf Jacobi, Lotte, 1896-1990. Lotte Jacobi papers, 1898-1986. UNH Durham, Dimond Library
referencedIn Belfrage, Cedric, 1904-. Papers, 1922-1990 (bulk 1945-1985). Churchill County Museum
creatorOf Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977. Correspondence to Van Wyck Brooks, 1947-1951. University of Pennsylvania Library
referencedIn Lorraine Hansberry papers, 1947-1988 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section
referencedIn James Aronson - W. E. B. Du Bois Collection MS 292., 1946-1983 Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries
referencedIn Lillian Hyman Katzman Papers MS 611., 1952-1989 Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries
referencedIn National Council of American-Soviet Friendship (U.S.). Records, 1919-1990. Churchill County Museum
creatorOf Dugan, Lawrence Joseph. One-act plays / Productions. Dept. of Drama, Drama 140, 1938/39. Yale University Library
referencedIn Guide to the James E. Jackson and Esther Cooper Jackson Papers, 1917-2018 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Hansberry, Lorraine, 1930-1965. Lorraine Hansberry papers, 1947-1988. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn John Marriott papers, 1933-1977 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section
referencedIn Guide to the James E. Jackson and Esther Cooper Jackson Papers, 1917-2018 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Cedric Belfrage Papers, Bulk, 1945-1985, 1922-1990, (Bulk 1945-1985) Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
creatorOf Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977. Dust to earth / Shirley Graham ; a production book. Yale University Library
creatorOf Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letters to Anna Melissa Graves, 1953-1961. Houghton Library
referencedIn National Council of American-Soviet Friendship Records, Bulk, 1943-1988, 1919-1990 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
creatorOf John Marriott papers, 1933-1977. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith African Methodist Episcopal Church. corporateBody
associatedWith Apetheker, Bettina. person
associatedWith Apetheker, Herbert, 1915- person
correspondedWith Aronson, James, person
associatedWith Aronson, James, 1953- person
correspondedWith Aronson, James, collector person
associatedWith Artz, Frederick Binkerd, 1894-1983. person
associatedWith Bailey, Herman. person
associatedWith Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. person
associatedWith Belfrage, Cedric, 1904- person
associatedWith Benn, Brindley. person
associatedWith Bontemps, Arna, 1902-1973. person
associatedWith Burroughs, Margaret Taylor, 1915-2010. person
associatedWith Carmichael, Stokely. person
associatedWith Clarke, John Henrik, 1915-1998. person
associatedWith Communist Party of the United States of America. corporateBody
associatedWith Davis, Meta. person
associatedWith Davis, Ossie. person
associatedWith Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. corporateBody
associatedWith Dickinson, Edward. person
associatedWith Dodd, Martha. person
associatedWith Dodson, Owen, 1914- person
associatedWith Du Bois, David Graham. person
associatedWith Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. person
associatedWith Dunbar, Paul L. person
associatedWith Fast, Howard, 1914-2003. person
associatedWith Federal Theatre Project (Chicago, Ill.) corporateBody
associatedWith Flanagan, Hallie, 1890-1969. person
associatedWith Foner, Philip Sheldon, 1910-1994. person
associatedWith Foner, Roslyn. person
associatedWith Foresman, Max. person
associatedWith Foye, Hope. person
associatedWith Frazier, Edward Franklin, 1894-1962. person
associatedWith Funabayashi, K. person
associatedWith Graham, David A. person
associatedWith Graham, Elizabeth Etta Bell. person
associatedWith Graham, Lorenz B. person
associatedWith Graham, Orval. person
associatedWith Graham, William. person
associatedWith Guinier, Ewart. person
associatedWith Hallinan, Vincent. person
associatedWith Hallinan, Vivian. person
associatedWith Handy, W. C. (William Christopher), 1873-1958. person
associatedWith Hansberry, Lorraine, 1930-1965. person
associatedWith Harding, Vincent. person
associatedWith Hare, Nathan. person
associatedWith Hastie, William, 1904-1976. person
associatedWith Hautz, Lawrence A. person
associatedWith Himes, Joseph. person
associatedWith Huang, Hua. person
associatedWith Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. person
associatedWith Jackson, Esther. person
associatedWith Jackson, Esther Cooper person
associatedWith Jackson, James E., 1914-2007. person
associatedWith Jacobi, Lotte, 1896-1990. person
associatedWith Jaffe, Bernard. person
associatedWith Johnson, Charles S. person
associatedWith Katzman, Lillian Hyman person
associatedWith Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971. person
associatedWith Kondolf, George. person
associatedWith Laudau, Lil. person
associatedWith Lewis, Reba. person
associatedWith Locke, Alain LeRoy, 1886-1954. person
associatedWith Mahoney, William P. person
associatedWith Marriott, John, 1893-1977. person
associatedWith Mason, Bernard Lee. person
associatedWith Mayfield, Julian, 1928- person
associatedWith McCanns, Robert. person
associatedWith Meeropol, Michael. person
associatedWith Melish, William Howard. person
associatedWith Messner, Julian. person
associatedWith Moos, Elizabeth. person
associatedWith Muhammad, Akbar. person
associatedWith National Association for the Advancement of Colored People corporateBody
associatedWith National Council of American-Soviet Friendship (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Nelson, Truman, 1911-1987. person
associatedWith New York University corporateBody
associatedWith Nicoll, Allardyce, 1894-1976. person
associatedWith Nkrumah, Kwame, 1909-1972. person
associatedWith Nyerere, Julius K. (Julius Kambarage), 1922- person
associatedWith Oberlin College corporateBody
associatedWith O'Neill, Eugene, 1888-1953. person
correspondedWith Ovington, Mary White, 1865-1951. person
associatedWith Padmore, George. person
associatedWith Partington, Paul G. person
associatedWith Patterson, William. person
associatedWith Permanent Organization for Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity. corporateBody
associatedWith Poston, Ted, 1906-1974. person
associatedWith Powell, Adam Clayton, 1908-1972. person
associatedWith Prattis, Percival Leroy, 1895-1980. person
associatedWith Pruitt, Ida. person
associatedWith Reitsch, Hanna. person
associatedWith Robeson, Eslanda Goode, 1896-1965. person
associatedWith Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976. person
associatedWith Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962. person
associatedWith Rosenberg Children's Trust Fund. corporateBody
associatedWith Sanchez, Sonia, 1935- person
associatedWith Simon, Abbott. person
associatedWith Simon, Abbott, 1916- person
associatedWith Spingarn, Arthur, (Arthur Barnett), 1878-1971. person
associatedWith Stanford University. Dramatists' Alliance. corporateBody
associatedWith Stevens, Richard P. person
associatedWith Strong, Anna Louise, 1885-1970. person
associatedWith United Service Organizations (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964. person
associatedWith Walker-Hill, Helen person
associatedWith Wallace, Henry A. (Henry Agard), 1888-1965. person
associatedWith Waters, Ethel, 1896-1977. person
associatedWith White, Walter Francis, 1893-1955. person
associatedWith Wilkins, Roy, 1901-1981. person
associatedWith Winter, Ella. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Liberia
Egypt
United States
Ghana
Subject
African American families
African Americans
African Americans
African American women
African American women authors
African American women composers
African American women political activists
American
Authors, American
Anti-communist movements
Women authors
Biographers
Journalists
Musical theater
Prompt-book
Television
Voyages and travels
Women composers
Women dramatists
Women in the theater
Women musicians
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1896-11-11

Death 1977-03-27

Information

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SNAC ID: 30660193