Profile
W.E.B. DUBOIS
1868-1963
Scholar and Activist
William Edward BurghartDu Bois was born in Great Barrington,
Massachusetts. He attended school there. Du Bois became a very
well-educated man. Indeed, he became a scholar, Bu Bois re
ceived B.A. degree from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee
and a second B.A. degree from Harvard University, as well. Thus,
W. E.B. Du Bois became the first African American to earn a docto
rate from Harvard. He also studied at the University of Berlin. He
was awarded several honorary degrees.
Taught Latin and Greek
Early in his career, he taught Latin and Greek at Wilberforce
University in Ohio and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.
He loved teaching and inspiring Students to opt for education. He
stressed developing the ability to think and to fight racism and
discrimination. Du Bois taught at his beloved Atlanta Unviversity
twice, first from 1897-1910 and again in 1933.
Critic of Aimrican Social Order
He was a fierce opponent of segregation and inequality, al
though his emphasis and directions for solutions changed at dif
ferent times. However, he remained a critic of the American social
order and its suppression of African Americans.
Conflict with Contemporaries
Du Bois held strong beliefs and they brought him into conflict
with contemporaries of his day. In 1903, he wrote a scathing essay
entitled "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others," denouncing
Washington's willingness to accept a "temporary" second-class
citizenship for African Americans. Du Bois demanded immediate
restoration of political and social rights for Blacks. He urged them
to embrace their African heritage.
The Talented Tenth
This intellectual giant advocated leadership and uplift o
masses through an educated Black elite, called "The Talented
Tenth." He was one of the founders of the NAACP and serve ! as
editor of its magazine, Crisis, for twenty-two years (1910-193L,
Formed the Niagara Movement
One could always count on Dr. Du Bois to raise his voice in
protest against any treatment he felt hurt Black people, whether it
was proposed by whites or blacks. He founded the Niagara Move
ment,, a protest organization whose membership consisted of
many African American intellectuals. The organization lasted only
a few years, due to lack of fund. The group met first in 1905 in
Niagara, Canada, after being denied hotel accommodations in Ni
agara, New York. During the meeting in Boston in 1907, a contro
versy between Du Bois and Black publisher William Monroe
Trotter was another factor in the breaking up of the organization.
Du Bois's attention turned to the emerging NAACP.
Linked with Communism
He became very interested tn pan-Africanism and Marxist so-1
cialism. Through his efforts, the first major pan-African congress
was held in 1919. He also became interested in the Communist
revolution and the experiment in Russia. After a trip to Russia in
1920, he began to embrace Marxist views in his writings. During
the 1940s and '50s, he was linked increasingly with Communist
groups. Such linkage led to his indictment by the U.S. Justice"
Department. However, Du Bois was acquitted.
Urged Socialism
b
At an all-African conference in 1958 in Accra. Ghana in West
Africa, he urged socialism over capitalism. Three years later, at
age 93, he joined the Communist Party. Dr. Du Bois returned to
Ghana in voluntary exile. He was invited to live in this dynamic
country by its first prime minister, Kwame Nkrumah. This brilliant
scholar devoted his last two years to directing the writings of an
African encyclopedia.
Wrote Books and Articles
Du Bois wasa prolific writer of books and articles. His materials
are widely read today among people who recognize his intellect.
A Scholar and an Activist
WfE.B. Du Boisdied in Ghana in 1963, oneday beforethe August
18, 1963, March on Washington. He left a long and distinguished
record of achievement, he was both a scholar and an activist of
extraordinary ability.