Even though he grew up in a tolerant neighbourhood and experienced very little racism, Du Bois still made it his life’s goal to obtain civil equality for African-Americans. A prominent writer and activist Du Bois was a jack of all trades and used his skills and to further his cause. He is one of the founders of the renowned civil rights organisation, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP).
Born in Massachusetts on February 23, 1868, Du Bois among a small population of free blacks. His first brush with true racism came when he attended Fisk University in Tennessee. He managed to obtain his BA from there, but then went on to study for a second BA at Harvard using scholarships, loans from friends and his earnings from various jobs to pay his tuition. He graduated with honours and continued his studies at Harvard, eventually becoming the first African-American to earn a PhD from there.
After graduation, Du Bois started receiving numerous job offers at American universities. He worked a number of research and professorial positions during which time he met and became friends with another great African-American civil rights leader, Booker T. Washington. While working, Du Bois did a comprehensive socialogical study of the African-American in North America which was groundbreaking and soon Du Bois became the most prominent spokesperson for his race, second only to Booker T. Washington.
Du Bois’s fight is notable because he not only fought for civil rights of African-Americans, but of all coloured people who were under the thumb of colonialism and imperialism. It was Du Bois’s idea to insert called use “coloured people” instead of “Negro” when naming the NAACP so that it did not leave out anyone feeling discriminated against.
He spent his entire life fighting for civil rights in America and that wish was finally granted in 1964, one year after his death. His incredible collection of essays and other writings coupled with the advancement of African-Americans continue to be a memento of his hard work.