Two great leaders of the black community in the late 19th and 20th centuries were WEB Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. However, they strongly disagreed on strategies to ensure social and economic progress for blacks. Their opposing philosophies run through much of today's discussions about how to end class and racial injustice, what the role of black leaders is, and what the "haves" owe to the "have-nots" in the black community. T. Washington, the most influential black educator, reformer and leader of his era (1856-1915), preached a philosophy of mutual aid, racial solidarity and accommodation. He urged black people to accept discrimination for the time being and focus on uplifting themselves through hard work and material prosperity. Du Bois, a prominent black intellectual, scholar, and political thinker (1868-1963), said no: Washington's strategy would only serve to perpetuate white oppression. Du Bois advocated political action and a civil rights agenda (he helped found the NAACP). Furthermore, he argued that social change could be accomplished by developing the small group of educated blacks he called "the talented tenth": "photo by WEB Du Bois" The black race, like all races, is going to be saved by his Exceptional men. The problem of education, among blacks, must therefore above all concern the “talented tenth”. This is the problem of developing the best of this breed so that they can keep the mass away from the contamination and death of the worst. "At the time, the Washington/Du Bois conflict polarized African-American leaders into two wings: Washington's "conservative" supporters and his "radical" critics. Du Bois's philosophy of agitation and protest for rights Booker T. is today associated, perhaps unfairly, with the self-help/colorblind wing. /Republican/Clarence Thomas/Thomas Sowell of the black community and its leaders The Nation of Islam and the Afrocentrism of Maulana Karenga also derive from this current of the philosophy of Booker T. However, the latter advocated the withdrawal of the. mainstream in the name of economics Du Bois This interesting 1965 article by writer Ralph McGill in The Atlantic combines an interview with Du Bois shortly before his death with McGill's analysis of his life. Du Bois discusses Booker T., discusses her controversial breakup with him, and explains how their origins explain their opposing views on strategies for black social progress. The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Du Bois Here is the full text of this article. classic in civil rights literature. It is a prophetic work that anticipates and inspires much of the black consciousness and activism of the 1960s. In it, Du Bois describes the extent of American racism and demands an end to it. He draws on his own life to illustrate - from his early teaching experiences in the hills of Tennessee to the death of his infant son and his historic break with the "accommodation" stance of Booker T. Washington. . Black History, American History This archive The online section of The Atlantic magazine offers several essays by Du Bois (as well as Booker T. Washington). In particular, he continues his debate with Washington in “The Training of Black Men”. WEBDu