Wednesday, February 19, 2014

W.E.B. Du Bois

Marcus Cole

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)


Wilbert Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He received a B.A from Fisk University and spent some time teaching in Nashville. In 1895 he received his doctorate from Harvard University. He was the first black male to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. Dubois was also the first to do a case study on the African American community, with the publication of “The Philadelphia Negro”. He had hoped that the art of social science could lead to the end of segregation but realized that the only way to eliminate the problem was to attack it head on.

His newfound beliefs challenged those of Booker T. Washington’s. Dubois' book “The Souls of Black Folk” separated black leaders into two categories: conservative and radicals. Dubois also launched a civil rights organization called the Niagara Movement which helped lead to the creation of the NAACP, where Dubois became the director of research and the magazine designer. Dubois strongly believed in education of African Americans to develop strong-minded leaders. Dubois' teachings, writing ability, and passion lead him to become a powerful civil rights activist and one of the most influential black males of his time.

No comments:

Post a Comment