W.E.B. Du Bois, Civil Rights Pioneer, Dies in 1963
- W.E.B. Du Bois was a key figure in the civil rights movement, co-founding the NAACP and editing its magazine, The Crisis.
- He was the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard and published influential sociological works, including The Philadelphia Negro.
- Du Bois died in Ghana at age 95, just before the March on Washington, leaving a lasting impact on civil rights activism.
W.E.B. Du Bois, born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was a prominent sociologist, author, and civil rights activist. He became the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University and was a co-founder of the NAACP in 1909. Du Bois edited the organization's magazine, The Crisis, from 1910 to 1934, advocating for full equality for African Americans. His groundbreaking work, The Philadelphia Negro, published in 1899, utilized statistical methods to study urban African American communities. Du Bois's activism was characterized by his criticism of other civil rights leaders, particularly Booker T. Washington, for their more gradual approach to achieving equality. He believed in demanding immediate rights as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. His later years were marked by a significant project to create an encyclopedia of the African diaspora, funded by the Ghanaian government, reflecting his commitment to African heritage and history. Du Bois's life was also marked by personal milestones, including his marriages to Nina Gomer and later to Shirley Graham after Gomer's death. He had two children with Gomer. His contributions to sociology and civil rights were profound, influencing generations of activists and scholars. Du Bois passed away in Accra, Ghana, on August 27, 1963, just one day before the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. His death marked the end of a significant era in the fight for civil rights, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire movements for equality today.