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Yolande Du Bois

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Yolande Du Bois
A young Black woman wearing a bridal ensemble, including a lace crown-shaped cap, a veil, a white jacket, and a lace dress
Du Bois Cullen in her wedding ensemble, from a 1928 publication
Born(1900-10-21)October 21, 1900
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMarch 1961 (aged 89)
OccupationEducator
Spouse(s)Countee Cullen (divorced)
Arnette Franklin Williams (divorced)
Children1
Parent(s)W. E. B. Du Bois
Nina Gomer
RelativesMary Silvina Burghardt Du Bois (grandmother)

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Yolande Du Bois
A young Black woman wearing a bridal ensemble, including a lace crown-shaped cap, a veil, a white jacket, and a lace dress
Du Bois Cullen in her wedding ensemble, from a 1928 publication
Born(1900-10-21)October 21, 1900
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMarch 1961 (aged 60)
OccupationEducator
Spouse(s)Countee Cullen (divorced)
Arnette Franklin Williams (divorced)
Children1
Parent(s)W. E. B. Du Bois
Nina Gomer
RelativesMary Silvina Burghardt Du Bois (grandmother)

Nina Yolande Du Bois (October 21, 1900 – March 1961), known as Yolande Du Bois, was an American teacher known for her involvement in the Harlem Renaissance. She was the daughter of W.E.B. Du Bois and the former Nina Gomer. Her father encouraged her marriage to Countee Cullen, a nationally known poet of the Harlem Renaissance. They divorced within two years. She married again and had a daughter, Du Bois's only grandchild. That marriage also ended in divorce.[1][2]

Du Bois graduated from Fisk University and later earned an MA from Columbia University. She worked as a teacher, primarily in Baltimore, Maryland.

Early life

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Du Bois was born on October 21, 1900, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts,[3] her father's hometown, to William Edward Burghardt and Nina (née Gomer) Du Bois.[4] They had arrived there from Atlanta, Georgia, shortly after the death of their infant son Burghardt from diphtheria in 1899.[3] When Yolande was growing up, she did not have a close relationship with her father. He was often away for his career, or living in a different city altogether for academic research and assignments.[5] Yolande was often ill. A family physician diagnosed the girl as having "inadequate levels of lime" when she had poor health. Some biographers thought that Yolande faked these illnesses to gain her father's attention.[5] As a child, Yolande was defiant toward her parents. She was aggressive and passionate. Her father described their relationship as one in which she held the power. To gain some control, her parents sent her to Bedales, a British boarding school.[6] While dealing with racial discrimination, she graduated from Brooklyn's Girls' High School.[5]

Du Bois began attending Fisk University in 1920. In her sophomore year, she fell ill and spent the entire month of February in the hospital due to serious inflammation of the gums.[5] While in college, Yolande was in a loving romance with jazz musician Jimmie Lunceford. However, her father believed he was an unsuitable match. Defying her parents' wishes, she continued to see Lunceford for some time. The relationship ended when she conceded to her father's wish that she marry poet Countee Cullen, who had received early acclaim in his career.[6]

She graduated from Fisk and started teaching in Baltimore, Maryland at a public high school.

Marriage and family

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Du Bois first met Countee Cullen in 1923 when they were both students in college, she at Fisk and he at New York University (NYU).<ref>{{Cite book|title=nces==

  1. ^ Bolden, Tonya (2008). Up Close, W. E. B. Du Bois: A Twentieth-century Life. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-06302-4.
  2. ^ Jones, Jacqueline C. (2004). "Cullen–Du Bois Wedding". In Wintz, Cary D.; Finkelman, Paul (eds.). Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance: A–J. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-57958-457-3.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Scott was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Randolph, Ryan P. (2005). W.E.B. Du Bois: The Fight for Civil Rights. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 9781404226562.
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, David Levering (2009). W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography. Macmillan. ISBN 9780805087697.
  6. ^ a b Ogbar, Jeffrey O. G. (2010-05-28). The Harlem Renaissance Revisited: Politics, Arts, and Letters. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801894619.
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