Born: 2 May 1902, United States
Died: 26 October 1989
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Born in North Carolina in 1902, Mabel Hampton had a turbulent childhood, losing her mother at age two and then the grandmother she had lived with for five years. At age seven, she was sent to live with her aunt in New York, only to be raped by her uncle. Running away, she was taken in by a family that would care for her for several years. Returning to New York as a teen, she was wrongfully arrested for prostitution at 17. After being released, she became a singer and dancer during the Harlem Renaissance, performing with stars like Gladys Bentley, a fellow out African American lesbian. She also met Lillian Foster, and the two women would be partners until Lillian’s death in 1978.
As the Harlem Renaissance waned, Hampton turned to domestic work, where she met another important woman in her life: Joan Nestle. While Hampton was working for Nestle’s family, the two developed what would become a lifelong friendship, despite Nestle being 38 years her junior. When Nestle began the Lesbian Herstory Archives in 1974, Hampton was a founding member, donating her large collection of lesbian pulp fiction novels and working with other volunteers to collect a massive library of lesbian materials, from literature and biographical information to academic publication to ephemera.
Hampton also contributed her own stories to the archive as an activist who, among other things, promoted advocacy and services for elderly members of the community, was named grand marshal of the New York City Gay Pride March and was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. Hampton died in 1989, but her words and deeds live on in the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Mabel Hampton was a prominent American lesbian activist and dancer during the Harlem Renaissance and played a vital role in Black and LGBTQ+ organizations, most notably the Lesbian Herstory Archives. In the 1920s, she danced alongside Harlem Renaissance stars and sang at various venues. As demand for her performances waned, she transitioned to work as a cleaning woman and formed a close friendship with Joan Nestle.
In 1932, she began a loving relationship with Lillian B. Foster, lasting 46 years. Hampton actively supported American soldiers during World War II and became involved in the gay and lesbian rights movement. She contributed to the Lesbian Herstory Archives and other LGBTQ+ organizations. Despite her modest income, she also supported various causes, attended performances, and marched in the 1979 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
Mabel Hampton openly declared her lesbian identity and advocated for freedom and equality in various public appearances, including speaking at the New York City Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade in 1984. In 1985, she was named grand marshal for the New York City Gay Pride March and received a lifetime achievement award from the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. She continued sharing her personal stories until her passing from pneumonia on October 26, 1989.