Booker T. Washington’s Movement on Civil Rights How did Booker T. Washington affect the Civil Rights movement? Booker T. Washington, a professor at Tuskegee Institution for African Americans was a major roll playing leader in the Civil Rights movement. He was a vocational educator that believed vocational education would be the way to reach equality. Booker T. Washington efforts to push for Civil Rights were built on the values of education, self-prosperity, and intense preparation of body and mind. One example that shows Washington’s belief to gain equality was through his efforts to reform education for African Americans. Even though many blacks lacked the opportunities to gain ground in society they could still educate themselves enough for reform. For example Washington argued that “blacks could work up from the bottom from rags to, at least, middle class respectability” (Recken 2). This proves one of his beliefs because; by learning a skill and becoming educated they could prove themselves more valuable to society. He preached to diverse audiences “that hard work, …show more content…
Washington and the Desire for a Du Boisian Intellectuality” was an article printed in the magazine The Envy of Erudition. “African Americans have endured the blessings and curses of freedom” (Gibson III 1). With African Americans free hence the blessings of more rights but, in turn gave them curses in shape of Jim Crow laws and the KKK(Ku Klux Klan) making them live in constant fear and intimidation of racism. “Despite the darkness of this sordid moment in history African Americans conjured enough light to make visible one of its greatest leaders, Booker T. Washington” (Gibson III 1). Although everything stacked against African Americans, they were able to educate themselves enough to make a great leader in Booker T. Washington. This serves as an example to everyone that despite all obstacles people may face they all have a chance to become something greater and bigger than