The Harlem Renaissance era heavily influenced The Civils Rights Movement, and the passing of The Civils Rights Act of 1964. Everyone has heard of Martin Luther King Jr., and have credited him with the progress of black people, and laws that have been passed to ensure justice of minorities. Over this celebratory weekend you will see and hear the name of King invoked and rightly so. However, long before Martin Luther King, and his infamous "I Have a Dream Speech" there was another civils rights leader who used his voice to infect change; W.E.B. DuBois.
W.E.B. DuBois is the father of The Harlem Renaissance Movement, and is the co founder of the NAACP. At the infamous "March on Washington", Roy Wilkins who was the president of the NAACP during that time, acknowledged DuBois during his speech and credited him for being the early voice of that very movement.
... It is incontrovertible that at the dawn of the twentieth century his was the voice that was calling you to gather here today in this cause...
Roy Wilkins - NAACP President of 1963
The March on Washington
In the 95 years of his life, DuBois contributed great efforts to the cause and advancement of black people around the world, including in Africa and other countries. He spoke out against the Jim Crow mentality and advocated the need to admonish racism in the schools and the world place. DuBois was an accomplished writer, and the leader of the Niagra Movement; a movement that greatly contrasted with the ideas of The Atlanta Compromise. Booker T. Washington wanted black folks for be allowed to obtain an education, but W.E.B. DuBois advocated for more than just the right to learn... he wanted black folk to be treated fairly in school and beyond! Following World War I, DuBois interviewed soldiers and chronicled their experiences of prejudicialness and racism during the war. The work of W.E.B. DuBois and the writers of The Harlem Renaissance era are not only admirable, but are also a key influence behind the reason of my written work today.
Whenever people talk about MLK Jr., or the Civils Rights era, they tend to speak as if it is ancient history. The public at large recognizes the name and efforts of King, but often forget about those who paved the way before him. W.E.B. DuBois (and others) had been working at the grass roots level to infect change for over 50 years... long before The March on Washington or The "I Have a Dream Speech" had even taken place. Yet he is rarely mentioned or credited for his service. The civils rights act embodies many of the freedoms and protections that DuBois consistently advocated for. In addition, it is important to emphasize that such laws were not enacted until 1964, a meager 59 years ago. Many of us have parents, relatives or know other people who are 59 years old or older. Many of the stigmas, stereotypes and various injustice that black people face today, were also the same struggles of people who are still alive today. Therefore it is ridiculous to suggest that our continued struggles are ancient history, or a thing of "the past". The fact is, many of our freedoms are relatively new! The world, and its racist, stigmatized ways have existed for hundreds if not thousands of years, and they are still happening today.
The Souls of Black Folks is one of DuBois' most relevant and needed books of his and our generation. The title and book was inspired by the negative stereotypes some white folks attributed to black people; they said that black people had "no souls." DuBois used the title of this book to dispel that misconception, while highlighting uncomfortable yet factual mistruths about the world we lived in backed then, and still today.
W.E.B. DuBois died on the eve of The March on Washington on August 27th, 1963. He was unable to see his vision become a reality. As we celebrate the anniversary of The March on Washington, we would be remiss to forget and not acknowledge the contributions of DuBois and the mission of his work. Indeed, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but it was not a dream he had worked to fulfill all by himself.
Happy Writings!
RDW 🌹
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