Understanding W.E.B. Dubois
Few men have influenced the lives of African-Americans as much as William Edward Burghardt DuBois. He was a scholar, activist, writer, and an international diplomat. During his time, he was at least involved in if not in the forefront of every movement advocating equal rights for African Americans. DuBois inspired the creation of numerous organizations and periodicals. Dubois dedicated a part of himself to numerous worthy causes, but that same generosity had a detrimental effect on the outcome of his efforts. As a result of distributing his efforts amongst many worthy causes, DuBois rarely followed his individual dreams to complete fruition. Although DuBois may not have taken every step he could, he went farther than many people will ever go to better the lives of their people. DuBois made monumental contributions to history, politics, and to lives of African Americans that have been paralleled by few and eclipsed by none. In his work, The Souls of Black Folk, DuBois described the life and problems that black people in America faced. He had a very different plan in the struggle for black equality and for the abolishment of racism. Some leaders spoke of a "separate black nation" while others wanted blacks to simply stay submissi
Jones explains the idea of double-consciousness as the composite individual adaptation to racism. Being aggressive was a political decision, in many cases. "the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world, - a world which yields him no true self-consciousness but only lets him see himself through the eyes of others" (214-5). Being a well-respected intellectual and leader, he worked to reach goals of education and peaceful resolutions between the races and classes. The second reason is that because of segregation, cultural differences and racism, black people spend a vast majority of their time in contact with other black people. ' "In his reclamation of the spirituality of the oppressed and the despised, DuBois also wrote a paean to what nowadays is sometimes glibly stigmatized as the culture of the oppressors" (Lewis 21). I believe that the color-line is the boundary that black people cannot cross into white society. Racism presents a problem and also an opportunity to develop resilience, creative problem solving, discipline and resolve. But DuBois thought it was absurd for Negroes in America, no less than for Mongolians on the Asian steppes, to deny the realities of race. Power and control rested in the hands of white men; therefore one must learn to socialize. And so, DuBois would have the Negro rip away the veil, to stand 'free, free as the sunshine trickling down the morning . The first reason he gives for this adaptation is that personality reactions to extreme hostile and difficult circumstances are not always negation, defeat and doubt.
Common topics in this essay:
James Jones,
Folk DuBois,
African Americans,
Americans DuBois,
Africa America,
DuBois Negro,
Sorrow Songs',
Mongolians Asian,
America Lewis,
Levering Lewis,
black people,
african americans,
worthy causes,
dubois wrote,
treated equally,
racism black,
bifurcation self,
|
Acceptance Essays
