International Journal of History

There is a plethora of literature that uncovers the contribution of men to civil rights activism across the world. Civil rights activism in the United States and Africa are often touted to have been orchestrated by men including but not limited to, W.E.B Du Bois, Martin Luther King Junior, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba etc. It is so nauseating that little attention has been given to the significant efforts played by some women who were resolute in promoting civil rights activism aimed at mitigating social injustice, inequality, women's subordination, among others. One of such unsung women activists whose contributions shaped the landscape of civil rights activism not only in America but also in Africa, especially Ghana, was Shirley Graham Du Bois. This article focused on the work and contribution of Shirley Graham Du Bois; a civil rights activist and an international socialist in the development of socialism and women's issues in the newly independent Ghana using her role as the Director of the then Ghana Television and her integral contribution to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. The study relied greatly on primary sources from the Ghanaian archives and literature on Shirley Graham Du Bois. This paper examines her contribution to politics in Ghana, her role in Ghana’s evolution, as well as her strides toward women’s movement and empowerment. Her contribution is no mean achievement; her coming to Ghana became a watershed in the promotion of civil rights activism in Ghana. The paper concludes that through the programs enrolled on Ghana Television, the citizens were conscientized to be nationalists and fight imperialism, and women were trained and prepared using the model of the women’s movement at the time.