Browse Exhibits (2 total)
Betty Glenn Thomas did not consider herself to be a political figure, despite serving as the first Black teacher in the Oberlin Public Schools in a town that has boasted racial progressiveness since its founding in 1833. The controversy surrounding her hire extended past the initial decision; community members charged the Oberlin School Board with racial discrimination for placing Thomas at Centennial School where she would only teach Black students, and her tenure was up for debate even though the general protocol was that teachers got automatic tenure after three years. The town of Oberlin and historians exploring her legacy today have politicized Thomas’ very existence, which in some ways makes sense given her significant role in the schools and her life-long commitment to civic engagement. Thomas was important and political, but she also had reasons to not explicitly label herself as such.
Shirley Graham Du Bois was a musician, composer, and playwright in the mid 20th century. She began attending Oberlin Conservatory at age 35, supporting two chilldren while she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees. She wrote and produced multiple operas about Black people's experiences. Later in her life, Graham Du Bois became more politically active; she joined (and later resigned) from the NAACP and she openly supported Communist party nominates for public office. At age 54, Shirley Graham Du Bois married WEB Du Bois and moves with him to Toronto, Canada, then after being deported, the couple eventually settled down in Accra, Ghana in 1961. After Du Bois died in 1963, Graham Du Bois moved to Eygpt to continue writing, and then died in China in 1977. If you wish to learn more about the life and legacy of Shirely Graham Du Bois, check out https://historydesignlab.org/sgd/intersections-recovering-the-genius-of-shirley-graham-du-bois/index.