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Isabela Segoviano
Professor Badgero
US History II
25 September 2023
Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois
Hello, my name is Eugenia Hemsway. I am an African American woman working in the
city of Atlanta. I was born and raised in Atlanta and I make my living by cleaning and upkeeping
wealthy families' homes. I am writing to Atlanta Independent because I would like to share my
views and take on W.E.B Dubois.
I have been following Dubois for some time now and I would like to share my respect
and thankfulness for all that he has done. Despite growing up a bit differently due to him being
raised in Massachusetts with a well rounded education; he was also the first African American to
receive his PhD at Harvard. As I continue to share my gratitude, DuBois also renounced a lot of
Washington’s beliefs and fully stood for the full civil rights of African Americans. I for one
cannot stand Booker T. Washington due to urging us to accept unequal positions in society.
Dubois' essay, The Souls of Black Folk concludes that though Washington may have
done many things in the effort of equality, there is still so much work to be done. “And yet this
very singleness of vision and thorough oneness with his age is a mark of the successful man. It is as
though Nature must make men narrow in order to give them force. So Mr. Washington’s cult has gained
unquestioning followers, his work has wonderfully prospered, his friends are legion, and his enemies are
confounded. To-day he stands as the one recognized spokesman of his ten million fellows, and one of the
most notable figures in a nation of seventy millions. One hesitates, therefore, to criticize a life which,
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beginning with so little has done so much. And yet the time is come when one may speak in all sincerity
and utter courtesy of the mistakes and shortcomings of Mr. Washington’s career, as well as of his
triumphs, without being thought captious or envious, and without forgetting that it is easier to do ill than
well in the world.” This being said, Washington has had many successes but the hush of truth still remains
behind his front. In the Atlanta Compromise speech by Booker T. Washington, he says, “There is no
defense or security for any of us except in the highest intelligence and development of all. If anywhere
there are efforts tending to curtail the fullest growth of the Negro, let these efforts be turned into
stimulating, encouraging, and making him the most useful and intelligent citizen. Effort or means so
invested will pay a thousand per cent interest. These efforts will be twice blessed—blessing him that gives
and him that takes. There is no escape through law of man or God from the inevitable.” Washington wants
us to hide behind the curtain of divisibility for the benefit of development. He believes that if we fit into
our unjust roles in society that it will benefit African Americans once we conform to their ways. Dubois is
upfront and honest about what he stands for and this is what the readers of Atlanta Independant need to
hear.
Overall, being a woman has its hardships at this time but trying to make a living for myself here
in the city of Atlanta exemplifies the problems that African Americans are facing. The inequality of
working women is a fight that will continue to be pursued but the equality for African Americans is one
that we all need to fiercely chop away at.
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