WEB Du Bois: Racial Co-existence

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WEB Du Bois: Racial Co-existence

While reading DuBois, I was struck by the analogy of the hand used to describe race relations. With a simple concept that a child could understand, the entire race problem could be solved. Five fingers on a hand that are all different, yet by working together, they are able to perform many tasks. If you take just one away, it makes it harder for the rest to due all the same tasks. The moral of the story? Even though we are all different, when we work together there is no telling what we can do. We all bring different skills and experiences to the table, and all are worthwhile. A very simple concept- yet we still have not even come close to putting it in practice.

The idea of racial co-existence can best be described by DuBois: “ …the ideal of fostering and developing the traits and talents of the Negro, not in opposition to or contempt for other races, but rather in large conformity to the greater ideals of the American Republic.” (DuBois, 43) Once again, in child’s terms- each finger cannot work against the other for the hand to work properly. The question is then posed- why can’t we get this straight?

DuBois understands part of the problem. Blacks and whites have become intertwined in a vicious cycle. Slavery itself did not create, but enhanced negative attitudes towards blacks. In quite the same way, the institution of slavery greatly enhanced the way blacks felt about whites. White landowners were responsible for disenfranchisin...

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