author
Shirley Graham Du Bois
1896–1977
A gifted writer, composer, and activist, she built a life at the crossroads of art and political commitment. Her work ranged from plays and music to biographies and public advocacy, always centered on Black history, culture, and freedom struggles.
1 Audiobook
There was once a slave ... : The heroic story of Frederick Douglass
by Shirley Graham Du Bois
About the author
Born in Indianapolis in 1896, Shirley Graham Du Bois was an American writer, playwright, composer, and activist whose career stretched across music, theater, literature, and public life. She studied music at Oberlin College and went on to build a national reputation as a creative force long before many people came to know her through her marriage to W. E. B. Du Bois.
She wrote plays, novels, and biographies, and became especially well known for books that introduced young readers to major Black historical figures. Her work consistently reflected a deep interest in African American history and culture, and she was recognized with major literary honors, including the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
In later years, she remained active in global movements for Black liberation and Pan-African causes. She became closely associated with Ghana, where she lived for a time, and she died in Beijing in 1977, leaving behind a legacy that joined artistic achievement with lifelong political engagement.