W. E. B. Du Bois Character Analysis

Du Bois is the fourth figure that Kendi focuses on in the book, with arguably the most rich and complicated career. Born in Great Barrington, a small town in Massachusetts in 1868, Du Bois was an exceptionally talented student who attended Fisk University, which was at the time the premiere Black institution in the country. At Fisk, he internalized assimilationist ideas; following his graduation he became the first Black person to earn a PhD from Harvard. After a number of years working as a professor, Du Bois became editor of the NAACP’s journal, The Crisis. This part of his career was characterized by an investment in education suasion, uplift suasion, and the idea that the Talented Tenth would elevate the conditions of Black people as a whole. He was involved with the Harlem Renaissance and developed an interest in Marxist thought. His most influential works are The Souls of Black Folk (1903), Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil (1920), and Black Reconstruction in America (1935), the latter of which was his personal favorite of his books. Over time, Du Bois began to question assimilationist ideas and embrace socialism and Pan-Africanism. He came to reject his earlier thinking and admit that education and uplift suasion do not work. The U.S. deemed him a security threat when he was 82 and briefly revoked his passport. After it was reinstated, Du Bois traveled to Ghana, where he developed a friendship with Kwame Nkrumah. He died in Ghana at the age of 94.