Griffin Sisters

The Griffin Sisters, Emma (1874–1918) and Mabel (1877–1918) Griffin, were American vaudeville performers in the late 1800s and early 1900s who became entrepreneurs and social activists and opened one of the first booking agencies owned by Black women. They publicly spoke out by demanding higher wages and better working conditions for Black performers at a time when discrimination and racism were both common in the entertainment industry. Quote “Elementary colored acts are not wanted in white theaters, and white agencies tell us to our faces that they cannot use us and on every side the doors are shut in our face. It is time that we pull together and work for ourselves and [let] the white man see that we can do it without him.” Internal link