The Wisdom of W.E.B. DuBois

At the heart of the African American struggle for equality and identity in the United States, W.E.B. DuBois stands as an early and eloquent voice, articulating the essential challenges of his own age and illuminating the historical basis for the civil rights movement. In this selection of quotes and excerpts drawn from his prolific career’s many books, novels, articles, essays, poems, letters, and speeches, DuBois addresses not only the issues of slavery, African American equality, and democracy, but also the need for public education, women’s rights, and pacifism. Each subject includes a thorough introduction to DuBois’s role and his time. A founder of the NAACP and its magazine The Crisis, as well as an academic, political, and literary figure in the Harlem Renaissance, DuBois was groundbreaking and controversial, and left an impressive legacy.