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Who Is W. E. B Du Bois A Scholar Activist

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Ayan Patel
The Scholar Activist
There were many African American activists during the twentieth century. One prominent activist included W. E. B Du Bois. He was born on February 23rd, 1868 (Feuerherd). W. E. B Du Bois was a prominent scholar who spoke out on racism, inequality, and discrimination of African Americans during the early 1900s. He was the "first African American to receive a doctorate at Harvard, and went on to become a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University" (Feuerherd). W. E. B Du Bois was also a founding member and leader of the NAACP (NAACP). Du Bois "fought discrimination and racism…and contributed to debates about race, politics and history…through his writings and speeches" (America's Library). …show more content…

E. B Du Bois was a "leading thinker on race" and "prominent intellectual" who became known for his essays and books on the struggles of Black Americans (NAACP). His written works highlighted how African Americans were treated in post-slavery America. One example is his exposure of lynching. In 1910, Du Bois became the editor of the monthly magazine, The Crisis (NAACP). As Du Bois was the editor, he inserted charts of all the lynchings that occurred in the nearby cities (NAACP). By doing this, he influenced people to sympathize for the lynching victims and helped "push for legislation …to outlaw the cruel extrajudicial killings" (NAACP). There were many articles and books that Du Bois wrote to help end discrimination against the African American community. One of the most notable collection of essays is The Souls of Black Folk. In these essays, Du Bois used the term "double consciousness" as it related to the Black experience during the 1900s (NAACP). The term referred to the "sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others" which in this case was through the eyes of racism of that time (Pittman). These essays highlighted the discrimination and struggles that Black Americans were continuing to face even after the end of slavery. Over his career, Du Bois wrote many books and essays that helped to influence the civil rights movement of the twentieth

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