She attended Edward Waters College, where she originally trained to be a nurse before coming to New York and entering the entertainment profession, first as a songwriter and then as a stage actress.

[3] Gilbert was known for playing Zipporah, the wife of Moses, in the original touring production of The Green Pastures in 1930.

[6] Gilbert appeared on screen four times: first, The Call of His People in 1921, then Body and Soul in 1925, Moon Over Harlem in 1939 as Jackie's mother, and finally in the episode "The Green Dress" of the TV series Lights Out.

She also appeared on radio, most notably in a 1943 tribute to black women in America called "Heroines in Bronze," where she played the role of Sojourner Truth.

[8] Gilbert died at age 57 in 1952 in Queens General Hospital in New York after a three-week illness.