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Editorial for the Chicago Defender: Supporting W.E.B. Du Bois
I am a black 17-year-old living in Harlem, and I feel obligated to declare my support for W.E.B.
Du Bois over Booker T. Washington as a visionary leader. Though I truly feel that Du Bois's
vision is more appropriate for our needs and goals in the early twentieth century, both leaders
have appealing ideas. As a young person who has seen the difficulties facing our community, I
am certain this is the case.
In his article "W.E.B. DuBois Critiques Booker T. Washington," W.E.B. Du Bois stresses the
significance of education and the growth of a brilliant group of black leaders. I concur with Du
Bois' assessment of the worth of a college degree. As a young person, education is the key to
releasing our potential and producing leaders who can fight for our rights and improve the whole
community. He says, "... black boys need education as much as White boys" with enthusiasm
(DuBois, 1903). This deep realization underlines the significance of both intellectual
development and occupational competence.
Additionally, Du Bois's quote, "In all things purely social, we can be as separate as the five
fingers, and yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress," demonstrates his
persistent dedication to combating racial prejudice and demanding civil rights (DuBois, 1903).
Du Bois's appeal for equal rights and his unwillingness to accept segregation as the status quo
motivated me to fight for justice and equality. His statements serve as a reminder that even if
social integration may not always be possible, fighting for civil and political rights must always
be a top priority.
However, the concepts put out by Booker T. Washington in his "Atlanta Compromise Speech”
have several drawbacks. Although Washington emphasizes vocational and industrial education,
its reach appears rather constrained. As he puts it, "No race can prosper till it learns that there is
as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem" (Harlan, 1974). While I acknowledge the
need for vocational training, I think we should strive higher than merely physical work. It seems
like a bargain for us to tolerate social division and less than full citizenship and equality under
Washington's accommodationist strategy.
References
DuBois, W. E. B. (1903).
W.E.B. DuBois Critiques Booker T. Washington
.
Historymatters.gmu.edu. https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/40
Harlan, L. (1974).
Booker T. Washington Delivers the 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech
.
Historymatters.gmu.edu. https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/39/
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