"Mabel Hampton" (May 2,1902-October 26,1989)

She and Lillian Foster lived as a couple from 1932 until Lillian died in 1978.Together they left a rich history of activism and archival documents of SGL-T life,more specifically,African-American SGL-T life.It was Mabel who,being the surving partner,turned over the documents to the Lesbian Herstory Archives.Mabel Hampton inspired many during her 87 year stay on this planet.Born in Winston-Salem,North Carolina,Mabel mother died when she was just two months old.She grew up in the care of her grandmother,surrounded by chickens,hogs,a garden full of roses and vegetables,her maternal aunt,and friends.She formed fond memories of North Carolina during this time and was forced to leave this haven of safety when her grandmother died when Mabel was just seven.She took the train to New York City where she went to live with her aunt and uncle.Treated poorly in that family and raped by her uncle,at eight Mabel walked away from their home and set out on her own.Between the ages of eight &17 she lived with a white family in New Jersey,was wrongfully imprisoned for prostitution,and eventually found work dancing in an all women's troupe that performed on Coney Island.For Mabel the 1920's were a time of dancing in all African American productions,private parties with Jackie "Moms"Mabley and other Harlem renaissance figures,and living amongst other dancers and lesbians.She was "in the life."Mabel left the chorus lines as work dried up,claiming that " i like to eat."She began a career of working as a cleaning woman for white families.Mabel is perhaps best recognized as a major contributor to the Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York.Through out her adult life she collected all matter of memorabilia,letters,and records documenting her history and the world around her as an African American and as a lesbian.In 1932 Mabel met Lillian Foster.The two quickly fell in love and remained a couple until Lillian died in 1978.For 45 years they,along with various friends,formed a household that weathered World War II,the Civil Rights era,and the Stonewall Rebellion.Perhaps most interesting about Mabel and Lillian is how integrated a life they led.They were surrounded by their lesbian contemporaries,and Mabel volunteered for the New York Defense Recreation Committee collecting cigarettes and refreshments for soldiers during World War II.,and was her community's air raid service warden in 1943.They often attended performances by the National Negro Opera Company and regularly contributed to the Martin Luther King Memorial Fund and later was to donate to gay organizations,all of this on a working class salary.Such was their commitment to the African American community and the SGL-T community.Mabel clipped articles,kept letters,and later donated her treasures to the Lesbian History Archives so that she could be "apart of going on."She marched in the first national gay and lesbian civil rights march in in Washington,appeared in the films Silent Pioneers and Before Stonewall.She inspired members of the gay and lesbian community in New York City's paradeMabel said "I,Mabel Hampton,have been a lesbian all my life.For 82 years, i am proud of myself and my people.I would like all my people to be free in this country and all over the world,my gay people and my black people."