Du Bois as Social Activist: Why We Are Not Saved

Abstract

W.E.B. Du Bois completed most of his 1898 agenda, and much of the remainder has been accomplished since. And yet we are not saved. We need to reclaim race relations studies about power and institutions. Agency is only part of the story. We should remember Du Bois's emphasis on the increasing importance of black, "brown, and yellow" men and women because of "sheer numbers and physical contact." As we enter the twenty-first century, we need more studies of other people of color replicating those Du Bois proposed concerning African Americans. If scholars have any interest in being like Du Bois, they must be devoted to research but not as onlookers in the struggle for social justice. They must act to "raise" not just themselves but the race. This is the work that must be done if we want one America in the twenty-first century to be more than just a cliché but a reality.