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Top 10 Little Known Facts about W.E.B Du Bois

W.E.B Du Bois (1868-1963) work is still celebrated and remembered as an important part of American history to this day. He was a journalist, a historian and a sociologist, a novelist, a critic and a philosopher. All the aforementioned pursuits were linked to the crosscutting theme that was the race problem.  He was one of the most prominent and influential African American intellectuals of the 20th century. Raised in the post-Civil War era, at a time blacks were longer slaves but were still not looked upon as equals by whites. Movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, as well as several African-American leaders including Du Bois rose to power during this period with the aim of raising the race to new heights. W.E.B. Du Bois believed that education was the solution to the race problem. He was the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University. Furthermore, he is known for his scholarship on race relations, African American culture and the history of the African diaspora. Du Bois was a strong advocate for civil rights and fought against racism and segregation throughout his life. He co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Here are 10 little-known facts about W.E.B Du Bois.

1. Du Bois was Raised in a Somewhat Racially Integrated Neighborhood

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Du Bois was born in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a small town in the western part of the state. At the time of his birth, the town was overwhelmingly white, with only a small number of African American residents. However, Du Bois’s family was relatively well-off, and they lived in a part of town that was home to a number of prominent families, including some African American families. As a result, Du Bois grew up in a community that was more diverse than many other towns and cities in the United States at the time.

He attended a racially integrated school, where he was often the only African American student in his class, and he had white and black friends. However, he also faced racism and discrimination, both from his white classmates and from the broader society. Later in life, Du Bois became an advocate for racial integration and equality, and his experiences growing up in a diverse but still racially divided community no doubt influenced his views and his work.

2. Du Bois Initial University Formation was at Fisk University

He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 1868 and received his education at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Fisk University was founded in 1866 to provide education to newly freed slaves and was one of the first historically Black colleges and universities in the United States. Du Bois attended Fisk from 1885 to 1888, where he studied classics and developed an interest in social justice issues. While at Fisk, he was also involved in the debate society and the student newspaper. Throughout his career, Du Bois remained connected to Fisk University, and in 1933, he returned to the campus to deliver a series of lectures on African American history and culture. His work and legacy continue to be celebrated at Fisk today, and the university remains a significant institution for the education of Black Americans.

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3. W.E.B Du Bois was an early proponent of Socialism in the US

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He was an active member of the Socialist Party of America (SPA) for a period of time in the early 20th century. Du Bois joined the Socialist Party in 1910 after becoming disillusioned with the Republican and Democratic parties. Both parties he believed, had failed to address the needs and interests of African Americans. He saw socialism as a political system that could address the social and economic inequalities faced by black Americans.

While he believed in the socialist vision of economic equality and justice, he also recognized the importance of race and the specific challenges faced by African Americans. He sometimes clashed with his fellow party members, who he felt did not take issues of race seriously enough. Consequently, Du Bois left the Socialist Party in the early 1920s after a series of internal disputes and disagreements with the party’s leadership. However, his brief tenure in the party left an indelible mark on his thinking and writing, and he continued to advocate for a more equitable and just society throughout his long and distinguished career.

4. He Supported Women’s Rights Despite Earlier Skepticism

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He was an avid supporter of women’s rights; he joined Susan B Anthony’s National Woman Suffrage Association in 1910, making him one of the first male members to do so!   However, Du Bois was a complex figure whose views on women’s rights evolved over time. However, he ultimately came to see the fight for women’s rights as an essential part of the struggle for equality and justice in the United States. Early in his career, Du Bois was sceptical of the women’s suffrage movement arguing that African Americans needed to focus on the struggle for equality. Over time, as he became more involved in the civil rights movement and witnessed the ways in which African American women faced discrimination, he began to see the importance of women’s rights.

In his later writings, he advocated for women’s suffrage and argued that gender discrimination was a significant barrier to equality. In his book “Black Reconstruction in America,” published in 1935, Du Bois argued that the fight for women’s suffrage was intertwined with the fight for racial equality. He wrote, “The enfranchisement of women involves the application of the same principle to both sexes, and is as fundamental to democracy as is the enfranchisement of men.”

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5. WEB Du Bois had a Shaky Relationship with Booker T

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Du Bois criticized Booker T. Washington for his 鈥榓ccommodationist鈥� approach to civil rights. W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T were two prominent African American leaders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While both men advocated for the advancement of African Americans, they had different views on how to achieve that goal. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery and became a prominent educator and orator. He believed that the best way to achieve racial equality was for African Americans to focus on economic and educational advancement, rather than political and social equality. He advocated for vocational training and education, and his philosophy became known as the Atlanta Compromise.

W.E.B. Du Bois, on the other hand, was born into a free African American family and was a scholar and activist. He believed that African Americans should demand equal rights and opportunities, including access to education, the right to vote, and equal treatment under the law. Du Bois was critical of Washington’s philosophy, which he believed was too conciliatory and focused too much on accommodating white people and reluctance to challenge white supremacy. Their differing views on the role of education in achieving equality reflected a broader debate within the African American community at the time.

6. Du Bois was Awarded the Lenin Prize

W. E. B. Du Bois, a prominent African American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist, was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1959. The Lenin Peace Prize was an international award presented by the Soviet Union to individuals who had made significant contributions to the cause of peace and international solidarity. It was established in 1950 and was awarded annually until 1990. Du Bois was recognized for his lifelong commitment to the cause of peace and social justice, and for his advocacy of racial equality and human rights.

He had been an outspoken critic of colonialism and supported various socialist and communist causes throughout his career. The award generated controversy in the United States, with some seeing it as evidence of Du Bois’s supposed communist sympathies (a big issue given the cold war climate of the time). On the contrary, Du Bois saw the award as a recognition of his contributions to the cause of peace and social justice, and as an opportunity to promote international cooperation and understanding.

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7. He Pushed for the Freedom of Many African Countries

W.E.B. DuBois and the Editorial and Advisory Boards of the Encyclopedia of the Negro, 1936. Image by Unknown author from

Du Bois was an advocate for Pan-Africanism, the idea that people of African descent around the world should work together to fight racism and colonialism. Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unite people of African descent worldwide and promote their common interests. It emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a response to European colonialism and the exploitation of African people. Du Bois, an African American scholar and activist, was one of the leading proponents of Pan-Africanism in the early 20th century. He saw the struggle for racial equality in the United States as part of a larger global struggle against white supremacy and imperialism.

Du Bois believed that people of African descent had a shared history and culture that could be a source of solidarity and they needed to work together to advance their common interests. In 1900, Du Bois attended the First Pan-African Conference in London, which brought together Black intellectuals and activists from around the world to discuss issues affecting people of African descent. He also played a key role in organizing subsequent Pan-African Congresses in 1919, 1921, and 1923. Du Bois’s advocacy for Pan-Africanism influenced many African leaders who sought to unite their people and gain independence from European colonial powers. His ideas also had a lasting impact on the development of Black Nationalism in the United States and other parts of the African diaspora.

8. Du Bois鈥� Silent March Inspired MLK鈥檚 and other Protests

One of the events he organized was the Silent March of 1917, which was one of the first major civil rights protests in the United States. The Silent March was a protest against racial violence and discrimination against African Americans. It was organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in response to the East St. Louis Race Riot of 1917, in which white mobs attacked and killed African Americans. On July 28, 1917, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 African American men, women, and children, all dressed in black, marched silently down Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The marchers carried signs protesting racial violence and discrimination, with messages such as “Make America Safe for Democracy” and “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” The Silent March was an important event in the history of the civil rights movement, as it demonstrated the power of peaceful protest and helped to raise awareness of the ongoing racial injustices in the United States. This march inspired future peaceful protests such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963! 

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9. Du Bois was an Anti-Nuclear Activist

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In the 1950s and 1960s, Du Bois became involved in the anti-nuclear movement and spoke out against the development and use of atomic weapons. He was a leading figure that called for the abolition of nuclear weapons and an end to nuclear testing. The activist was particularly concerned about the impact of nuclear weapons on people of colour.  He saw nuclear testing as a form of environmental racism. After the devastating effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he recognized the threat that nuclear weapons posed to global security. In 1950, Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the Peace Information Center, which was dedicated to promoting peace and disarmament. For him, anti-nuclear activism was part of his broader commitment to social justice and his belief in the value of human life.

10. Du Bois Passed on in the 鈥淢otherland鈥�

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Du Bois passed away in Ghana at the age of 95, where he had moved in the 1960s to work on an encyclopedia of the African diaspora. He had moved to Ghana two years earlier, renouncing his U.S. citizenship and becoming a citizen of Ghana, in protest of racial injustice and his disillusionment with the United States. Throughout his life, Du Bois was committed to the cause of human rights and was a vocal critic of racism. He wrote extensively on the experiences of African Americans and other marginalized groups. His work helped to shape the field of sociology and the study of race in the United States. Du Bois’s death was widely mourned, and he was remembered as a towering figure in the civil rights movement and a leading intellectual of the 20th century.