"Of Booker T. Washington and Others"

In W.E.B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk, I read the essay, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others." To read it, see here. It was from this essay that the character of Simon Haley in Roots: The Next Generation quoted---right when Booker T. Washington was about to come to speak at his college!

Essentially, Du Bois dislikes Booker T.'s approach of trying to promote the economic advancement of African-Americans, while purposefully neglecting the pursuit of their political equality and higher education, in order to appease white society. Booker T. primarily sought the industrial education of African-Americans, which satisfied white society---happy that this was all that African-Americans wanted for themselves. Du Bois not only finds Booker T.'s approach to be demeaning towards African-Americans---in that it seeks to exchange their dignity for their economic advancement---but he also doubts that African-Americans will be able to advance economically without political equality and higher education. Without political equality, African-Americans will be ruled by people they did not choose---politicians who can undermine their rights to property as well as obviate their economic independence. And, because African-Americans who had received a higher education were the ones who were behind industrial education, abandoning the higher education of African-Americans will cause industrial education to fall by the wayside as well.

There were other interesting parts of this essay. First, Du Bois said that he could understand African-Americans being refused the right to vote if they are ignorant, but he states that racism is the cause of their degradation. That's why he supports schools for African-Americans. Second, Du Bois speaks against African-Americans acting like all of white America is hostile to them, for that is not the case.