Hampton, Mabel (1902–1989)

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Hampton, Mabel (1902–1989)

African-American gay-right's activist. Name variations: Mabel M. Hampton. Born May 2, 1902, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; raised by grandmother; died Mar 11, 1989, in New York, NY; lived with partner Lillian Foster, 1932–78 (died 1978).

Black lesbian pioneer, was orphaned at 2, raised by grandmother until age 7, then raped by an uncle at 8; began career dancing in all-women's troupe at Coney Island; was one of the sisters of the Harlem Renaissance; throughout life, collected memorabilia to document her history and the world around her as a black woman and as a lesbian; donated these artifacts to the Lesbian Herstory Archives; appeared in the films Silent Pioneers and Before Stonewall.

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