Biography of William Edward Burghardt DuBois :: Biographies Pan-Africanist Racism Essays

Biography of William Edward Burghardt DuBoisWilliam Edward Burghardt DuBois, to his admirers, was by spirited devotion and scholarly dedication, an attacker of injustice and a defender of freedom. A harbinger of disgraceful nationalism and Pan-Africanism, he died in self-imposed exile in his home away from home with his ancestors of a glorious pastAfrica.Labeled as a radical, he was ignored by those who hoped that his massive contributions would be buried along side of him. But, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, history cannot ignore W.E.B. DuBois because history has to reflect legality and Dr. DuBois was a tireless explorer and a gifted discoverer of social truths. His singular greatness lay in his quest for truth about his have got people. There were very few scholars who concerned themselves with honest study of the black man and he sought to fill this immense void. The degree to which he succeeded let on the great dimensions of the man. His Formative YearsW.E.B. DuBois wa s born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. At that time Great Barrington had perhaps 25, but not more than 50, gloomy people out of a population of about 5,000. Consequently, there were little signs of overt racism there. Nevertheless, its venom was distributed through a constant barrage of apocalyptic innuendoes and vindictive attitudes of its residents. This mutated the personality of young William from good natured and outgoing to sullen and withdrawn. This was later reinforced and strengthened by inner withdrawals in the face of real discriminations. His doings of introspection haunted him throughout his life. While in high school DuBois showed a keen concern for the development of his race. At age fifteen he became the local correspondent for the New York Globe. And in this position he conceived it his duty to push his race forward by lectures and editorials reflecting upon the need of Black people to politicized themselves.DuBois was naturally gifted i ntellectually and took pleasurable pride in surpassing his fellow students in academic and different pursuits. Upon graduation from high school, he, like many other New England students of his caliber, desired to attend Harvard. However, he lacked the financial resources to go to that institution. But with the aid of friends and family, and a scholarship he received to Fisk College (now University), he eagerly headed to Nashville, Tennessee to advertise his education.This was DuBois first trip south. And in those three years at Fisk (18851888) his knowledge of the race problem became more definite.