Born on this date in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massechusetts, historian, activist, sociologist, and author William Edward Burghardt DuBois is one of the most pivotal figures in the history of Black people in this country. The Harvard graduate was the co-founder of the NAACP and the leader of the Niagara Movement, a group of activists that aimed for the equal rights for Black people. He diligently opposed Jim Crow laws, education and employment discrimination, and was a strong advocate for Black representation in politics. He also helped organize several Pan-African Congresses to free African colonies from European imperialists, but was in strong opposition to championed Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, who DuBois claimed undermined the efforts of the NAACP.
Dubois was the first Black person in the United States to receive a doctorate degree and also formed the first Sociology department in the country. His literary accomplishments boast over two dozen titles, including “Darkwater: Voices From Within The Veil” and the famed “Souls of Black Folks”, a collection of fourteen essays that was based on the theme that Black people faced a double consciousness being Black and American.
Other “Black Facts” on this date:
1925- Former Detroit mayor and Congressman Louis Stokes was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Stokes was the first Black man elected to Congress in Ohio.
1942- Founder of Third World Press Haki Madhubuti was born on this date in Little Rock, Arkansas.
1965- Constance Baker Motley was elected Manhattan Borough President. This was the highest elective office held by a Black woman in a major U.S. city.
1979- Frank E. Petersen Jr. became the first Black Brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps.
1999- John King, a white man, was found guilty of the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a Black pedestrian, in Jasper, Texas. King received the death penalty for what was labeled a “hate crime” against Byrd.
-ShaBe Allah(@KingPenStatus)
