Today we honour W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) DuBois, the first African American to earn a PHD Social Sciences degree from Harvard University.
He gathered other black scholars on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls as hotels in the United States refused to allow them to meet because blacks gathering together was frowned upon, his vision to forward the equal rights of Black Americans was the foundation for the organization later called the N.A.A.C.P. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
Remembering W.E.B DuBois: In 1905, a group of prominent Black intellectuals led by W.E.B. DuBois met in Erie, Ontario, near Niagara Falls, to form an organization calling for civil and political rights for African Americans. They gathered to strategize on ways to combat racial discrimination and segregation.
W.E.B. DuBois Speech: “Socialism and the American Negro” is the speech W.E.B. DuBois gave in 1960.
The Niagara Movement was a prelude to the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and the civil rights movement.
Reflection: W.E.B. DuBois was a brilliant man who overcame difficult circumstances to become one of the greatest educators in history. Highly intelligent, he admittedly attained an even greater understanding of the effects communism, socialism and capitalism have on society and how they affect black communities differently from white communities.
His “Socialism and the American Negro” speech details his observations in a unique way. The conclusions he came to aren’t simply theories, rather they are supported by his own life experiences within those economic systems.
The insurgence storming of the Washington Capitol on January 6th, 2021, the current social climate and W.E.B. DuBois 1960 speech are eerily connected and relevant today… Thank you W.E.B. DuBois for your legacy of education, leadership and fairness.
Thank you for your time and support, please feel free to share.
Albert Earl Jr.
Enjoy and please share as we honour black history… Thank you!!!