Discription

Historian Derrick P. Alridge illuminates Du Bois’s educational thought on a wide variety of issues, such as women and education, black leadership, black identity, civil rights, black higher education, community education, and academic achievement. This incisive examination traces relationships with Booker T. Washington and other African American thinkers of his time, and shows how events such as lynchings, Reconstruction policies, and Progressivism influenced Du Bois’s life and thinking.

“This important work fills one of the remaining gaps in our understanding of the leading African American scholar-activist of the twentieth century.”
—From the Foreword by V.P. Franklin, University of California, Riverside

“Finally, a biographical interpretation that places Du Bois squarely within the tradition of black educators. This book provides important context, both for historians seeking a broader interpretation of Du Bois as an educator and for contemporary policymakers seeking a deeper understanding of the vexing problems confronting black children today.”
—Vanessa Siddle Walker, Emory University

“A much-needed update to the enormous depth of Du Bois's educational philosophy. Alridge does a brilliant job in providing a broader and more balanced view of Du Bois’s intellectual and educational thought.”
—Linda M. Perkins, Claremont Graduate University

“With this superb book, Derrick Alridge has re-centered the axes of historical debate and analysis in the fields of African American educational and intellectual history. It is a welcome addition to the literature in the fields of Du Boisian studies, American intellectual history, and African American educational history.”
—Larry L. Rowley, University of Michigan