These Giants of Black History Were Rivals, but Time Knits Them Together

Ted Johnson, Senior Advisor and Director of the Us@250 Initiative, wrote a Black History Month reflection in the Washington Post on the historic debate between esteemed educator Booker T. Washington and renowned sociologist and author W.E.B. Du Bois about the best path forward for Black equality, in the South and in America.

“The Washington-Du Bois debate captures the essence of a nation in a way that is particularly American and particularly Black. It is a shared history. Washington chastised Du Bois’s approach as elitist, scoffing that it’s better to earn a dollar in a factory” than “spend a dollar in an opera-house.” Du Bois responded that a people not educated in the systems of democracy and justice would never get much of either, no matter how much they sweat. How can Black people best find the America that others enjoy? It was a question to the people as much as to a country.

It offers a peek into the nation’s tendencies, at its nature and character. A core tension exists in the United States between an economic prosperity in which everyone is paid their fair share and a democracy where everyone has a voice.”

Read the full article here.