TH3 Washington vs Dubois

The readings for today's class were quite interesting to see the differences in perspective first hand.
DuBois' The Talented Tenth begins with a statement that I would like to unravel: “The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.”(DuBois 33).

Let us discuss the terms “saved” and “exceptional men”. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, saving someone is rescuing them from harm or danger. In this narrative, the black men are needing ‘saved’ from their own race with the help of “its exceptional men”. However, the “exceptional men” cannot exist and educate without the help of white men. So again, the black man is left under the control of the white elites. It is a never ending cycle as we have seen throughout this semester and other course work. Getting to the point of contention between Washington and DuBois, I tend to side with DuBois. I acknowledge the progress that the Atlanta Compromise made in 1895, and how influential Washington had been to work on this deal and speak on behalf of the community. However, I disagree with the motion to undoubtedly in some terms of ‘give up the fight’. Why must the community take a back seat and wait for the white men to save them, in a way to not ruffle the feathers of these powerful men. It is guiding the oppression of the African-American community decades after they were ‘freed’. I find DuBois’ most powerful words to be at the end of “The Talented Tenth” where he states “Men of America, the problem is plain before you. Here is a race transplanted through the criminal foolishness of your fathers. Whether you like it or not the millions are here, and here they will remain. If you do not lift them up, they will pull you down.”(DuBois 75).  The acknowledgment of where the community is and the necessary steps needed to move forward instead of flying under the radar holds true for me. Undoubtedly, regardless of which side you take, these two men made huge leaps for their time. These two men are not entirely unalike in their beliefs and goals for the African-American community. Both desired economic prosperity and more civil rights for the community and acknowledged that education would be key in changing the way society treated them.

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