Mabel Byrd & W.E.B. Du Bois: A Story of Activism and Friendship
By Kayla Smith
Mabel Byrd, an educator and activist, was a strong and brilliant woman who pushed boundaries, always working diligently for the change she wanted to see. Byrd received her college education at the University of Oregon, where she was the first African American to attend the institution, and the University of Washington, where she obtained her degree in 1921 (McNab, “Mabel Janet Byrd”). A year later she moved to Portland to teach English at the segregated Williams Avenue Young Women’s Christian Association, otherwise known as the YWCA. Byrd also worked as the secretary of the YWCA, a role which would be equivalent to a modern administrator such as a director (Anderson, “Mabel Janet Byrd”). During her time at the YWCA, she also served as the Vice President of Portland’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (McNab, “Mabel Janet Byrd”). In 1923, Byrd invited famous sociologist and civil rights activist, W.E.B. Du Bois, to speak at the University of Oregon and other institutions on a Northwest tour (Anderson, “Mabel Janet Byrd”).
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, otherwise known as W.E.B. Du Bois, was a scholar, writer, and civil rights pioneer. Du Bois was a strong student from his youth, being the first African American to graduate from Great Barrington Vermont’s racially integrated high school in 1884. In 1888, Du Bois enrolled at Harvard University where he received his BA cum laude in 1890, a MA in 1891, and later his PhD in 1895 (Holt, “W.E.B. Du Bois” ). Du Bois took some time to travel, enrolling in the University of Berlin, now called Humboldt University, from 1892 to 1894. Du Bois quickly became quite influential in the Sociology community, conducting studies, giving speeches, writing essays and books, and even publishing a few magazines (Holt, “W.E.B. Du Bois” ). In 1910, Du Bois joined the NAACP as an officer and became the editor of its monthly magazine, The Crisis (Mack, “William Edward Burghardt Dubois). Du Bois also used his time at the NAACP to further his political interests and actively participated in many Pan-African conferences over the years (Holt, “W.E.B. Du Bois” ).
In 1923, Du Bois received a letter from Mabel Byrd inviting him to speak at a wide variety of institutions across the Pacific Northwest on a tour (Anderson, “Mabel Janet Byrd”). Over the course of the tour, Du Bois and Byrd began to build a wonderful friendship that is reflected in their correspondence over the years, now housed at the Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Byrd and Du Bois wrote to each other quite often in the early days and frequently talked of upcoming speaking events Byrd had scheduled for Du Bois. Byrd forwarded messages of thanks from institutions, relayed information about living accommodations for Du Bois, and sent inquiries about adding extra dates and destinations to his tour. Du Bois was far less serious with his letters, taking on a bit more of a playful spirit, often being quite funny in his letters. For instance, Byrd borrowed books from Du Bois’s personal library in early 1925 which remained overdue for almost a year, prompting Du Bois to send Byrd a letter consisting only of the phrase “please return my books” repeated over and over again. The first few years of their relationship consisted mostly of scheduled speeches for Du Bois and generally light correspondence as both were frequently traveling and quite busy within their separate lives.
In 1927, Du Bois and Byrd, who was now living in New York, partook in the planning and attendance of the fourth Pan-African Conference hosted in New York. Byrd wrote to Du Bois concerning the conference in May of 1927, inquiring about any publicity and information Du Bois had on the conference. Here the relationship between Du Bois and Byrd becomes evident. In the same letter Byrd writes to ask Du Bois to inform his daughter, Yolande Du Bois, of her new address where she would love for Yolande to come visit sometime. Also in this letter, one of the more lengthy in her correspondence, Byrd requests a photograph of Du Bois to display at the Women’s Institute. To this request, Du Bois responds in quite a playful manner, saying she did “not deserve an answer” while informing her that he would indeed send a photograph and some literature he had on the fourth Pan-African Conference. He, in turn, also requested a photograph of Byrd claiming “I shall certainly not write to you again and certainly not speak to you when you come back” if she did not comply.
Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, May 31, 1927. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Later that same year, Byrd wrote to Du Bois, inquiring about possibly writing an article for the NAACP monthly magazine, The Crisis, and sending him a variety of ideas she had. Du Bois advised Byrd to start with a single article but encouraged her to write what she’s passionate about. Over the course of the next few months, Byrd wrote often to Du Bois, updating him on her progress to which Du Bois responded with positive feedback and usually attaching some resources she might have found useful. Byrd was unsure of her writing, telling Du Bois she did her best and could only hope people would enjoy it. Du Bois was consistently confident of Byrd, telling her “people want to hear from you.” Byrd’s article was published in the June issue of The Crisis and later received a first-place prize from the magazine for the article.
Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, December 23, 1927. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
In 1929, Byrd started to work for historically Black Fisk University’s Sociology department; however, Byrd immediately noticed racial discrimination among colleagues. Starting in early 1930, Byrd began to write to Du Bois about her findings, telling him of every discovery or statistic she could find. Over the course of the year, she worked tirelessly to uncover the systematic racism ingrained in Fisk University. From pay gaps to differences in living quarters, the racial discrimination was plain and clear, yet Du Bois could do little to help. In his letter to Byrd dated April 14, 1931, Du Bois informed Byrd that he could not intervene as there was little he could do, explaining that those in power and on the boards at Fisk would quickly shut it down. He explained that “there is nothing I can do until the matter comes to a real crisis” but that he would be more than happy to continue to document and catalog her findings. Although they likely had further correspondence on the topic, Du Bois’ letter concerning Fisk in April of 1931 was the last of the digitized letters in the collection to mention the subject.
Over the course of their remaining correspondence, the digitization of the letters is far more sparse and mostly concerned their friendship or spent catching up on each other’s lives. In 1933, Byrd wrote to invite Du Bois to a dinner with some of her students and wrote to suggest some individuals she thought he might want to invite to the Armenia Conference he was planning. In a letter from 1937, Du Bois thanked Byrd and her family for their hospitality, implying that he and his wife had just recently visited the family. It’s not until 1947 that Byrd invited Du Bois to speak again, this time in St. Louis. For the next year, Byrd wrote to Du Bois to discuss future engagements and inquired about his lecture material. The last of their digitized correspondence is from the year 1960. Byrd would be visiting New York and wrote to ask if Du Bois would be free for a visit. They decide to meet up early in May, an event they both seem highly eager and excited for. Byrd’s last documented correspondence to Du Bois is from October of 1960, in which she reflects on the Pan African Conference forty years earlier and graciously thanks Du Bois and his wife for their hospitality.
The relationship between Byrd and Du Bois is one that was quite special, one where two people who deeply wanted to better the world around them were able to come together to make a real difference. Throughout their letters, it is clear that Byrd and Du Bois care deeply about one another and find true companionship with each other. In a way, it seems as though Du Bois served as a mentor for Byrd, keeping her grounded and focused when she wanted to bite off more than she could chew. He used his resources to aid her in her endeavors, to guide her as she found her place in the world. It speaks volumes that Du Bois and Byrd kept in touch so well with each other so well. Byrd and Du Bois were just two people in the world who wanted to make it a better place than how they found it, just two people who found friendship in someone who fully understood their mission and experience.
About the Author
Kayla Smith participated in Professor Kimberly Jensen’s Spring 2023 Oregon Women’s History course as a student in the Honors Program at Western Oregon University. Kayla is a Psychology major and Art and Design minor who has a deep passion for helping people in any way she can.
Further Reading
Primary Sources
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, May 31, 1927. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b037-i317
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, December 23, 1927. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b037-i322
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, February 25, 1931. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b057-i489
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, January 3, 1933. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b065-i091
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, April 3, 1933. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b065-i092
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd Curtis to W. E. B. Du Bois, November 12, 1947. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b113-i275
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd Curtis to W. E. B. Du Bois, April 17, 1960. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b150-i309
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, April 25,1960. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b150-i311
Byrd, Mabel. Letter from Mabel Byrd to W. E. B. Du Bois, October 9, 1960. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b150-i313
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to Mabel Byrd, December 19, 1925. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b027-i548
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to Addison Scurlock, June 13, 1927. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b037-i318
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to Mabel Byrd, April 11, 1928. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b178-i334
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to Mabel Byrd, July 20, 1928. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b178-i335
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to Mabel Byrd, April 14, 1931. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b057-i493
Secondary Sources
Anderson, Lauren. “Mabel Janet Byrd: Growing up Young, Gifted, and Black in 1910s Portland, ‘The Whitest City in America.’” Lauren Laurie Anderson. https://laurenlouiseanderson.wordpress.com/2018/09/13/mabel-janet-byrd-growing-up-young-gifted-and-black-in-1910s-portland-the-whitest-city-in-america/
“Byrd, Uncaged.” UO Alumni. University of Oregon. https://www.uoalumni.com/s/1540/21/interior.aspx?sid=1540&gid=3&pgid=6615&cid=14879&ecid=14879&crid=0&calpgid=6599&calcid=1484%2c6
Holt, Thomas. “W.E.B. Du Bois.” Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Harvard University. https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/web-dubois
Mack, Dwayne. “William Edward Burghardt Dubois.” Blackpast. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dubois-william-edward-burghardt-1868-1963/
McNab, Camryn. “Mabel Janet Byrd.” Blackpast, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/mabel-janet-byrd-1895-1988/
“W.E.B. Du Bois.” National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/web-du-bois