Journal #4: W.E.B. Du Bois

"Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil.I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I held all beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it in a region of blue sky and great wandering shadows."


In The Souls of Black Folk (1903), Du Bois recalls the moment at which he realized a prejudice among races. It was during his grade school days, when a white girl that was new in town rejected a card he offered her.

When Du Bois says that he had "no desire to tear down that veil," at first I thought he was making a decision to submit to the prejudice... to accept defeat. But in the lines immediately following, I realized otherwise. He said he "lived above it in a region of blue sky and great wandering shadows." This was an indication that from then on, he felt enlightened, and better for his difference. You could say his eyes were opened, or that the fog had lifted, which would be ironic, since he speaks of discovering a "vast veil."

Although W.E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington had some antithetic views on the issue of racism in America, they agreed that the strife of Black America was ultimately a source of strength... that white Americans were lacking in virtue for not having suffered in such a way. The views and methods of these two men have been argued, dissected, compared, and contrasted to death, but it's quite possible that niether of them was wrong, per se. Although some may contend that Washington's slant toward separatism was a weak stance, it is important to consider the differences between these two men and their respective platforms. It is crucial to recall that Washington came "up from slavery" in the literal sense, and that although Du Bois undoubtedly suffered racial hardships, there is a generational and economical gap to consider between the two, and although Du Bois sheds light on the "holes" in Washington's theories, he also gives due credit as he sees fit.



"So far as Mr. Washington preaches Thrift, Patience, and Industrial Training for the masses, we must hold up his hands and strive with him, rejoicing in his honors and glorying in the strength of this Joshua called of God and of man to lead the headless host."