Different Approaches to Diversity Issues (1865-1925)

Introduction 

Years after the Civil War in the United States, African-Americans faced racial discrimination, profiling, and suffering. As freed slaves, African-Americans were unable to create a niche for themselves in a society that regarded them as nothing more than property. In the 1800s, the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group terrorized African-Americans and the legislation of racial segregation laws, made it impossible for blacks in the South to get employed, receive an education, or be accepted in the American society as equals. African-Americans did not know how to respond to a white supremacist society that did not want to treat them as equals. This led to the emergence of two preeminent leaders with two different philosophical perspectives that were meant to solve the problems of African Americans. Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois had different proposals and methods on how to uplift the conditions of African-Americans in the South. Washington believed that African-Americans could liberate themselves through education and investing in their own businesses . He believed that it was only through hard work, merit and economic progress that African-Americans could prove their worth to whites in the American economy (Massey, 2011) . Unlike Washington, Du Bois was of the notion that the equality of African-Americans with the whites was of the utmost importance. His vision was for humanity to live in a world that is free from exploitation and with equality for all. The purpose of this study will be to examine the differing philosophical concepts of Du Bois and Washington and the role they played in achieving racial equality for African-Americans.

History and Issues 

In the 18 th Century, African-Americans felt trapped on Southern farms, and they were discriminated against by racial laws that deprived them of the most basic freedoms. African-Americans required a strategy that would allow them to change the living conditions and be accepted in a white society (Solt, 2008) . Washington was born as a slave in Virginia before the onset of the Civil War. Washington believed that racial equality for African-Americans could only be achieved through education and hard work. Washington urged African-Americans to temporarily abandon the fight to attain full political power and civil rights from whites and instead develop farming and technical skills so that they could attain economic security. Washington was of the notion that without economic security, African-Americans would not have stability or room for improvement, and their children would not be exposed to better opportunities (Massey, 2011) . By accepting segregation and discrimination, African-Americans would be able to acquire wealth, and this would win them the respect and acceptance that they deserved from the white community. Economic empowerment would lead to the breaking down of the divisions between blacks and whites, which would eventually lead to equal rights for all. Booker T. Washington became the first African-American leader of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute and though his Atlanta Compromise speech, he achieved fundamental education rights form African Americans (Massey, 2011) .

Du Bois was born after the civil war in Massachusetts, and he was the first African-American to receive a PhD from Harvard University. Du Bois was able to interact with both whites and blacks, and he devoted more than ten years of his life in studying the conditions of African-Americans in the United States (Solt, 2008) . Du Bois believed that racial segregation and discrimination for African-Americans could only be achieved by attaining the highest possible education while engaging in confrontations and protests. Du Bois believed that education was tied to building a nation around leaders from every ethnicity, race and background, which were the tenets of a progressive society that would benefit from different skills as well as ideas (Lang, 2013) . Du Bois ideas on black nationalism took different forms, and the most influential was his advocacy for Pan-Africanism. Du Bois was of the notion that African-Americans were bound together with a common interest and that they should unite and fight together for their independence. Du Bois work on the study of a black community in the United States that was published in 1899 became the first scientific and statistically-based social study in the United States (Lang, 2013) . Through the Niagara Movement, Du Bois laid the foundation for the struggle for equal rights for African-Americans.

Comparison 

Du Bois and Washington had the same vision for African-Americans, which was equality and social justice for black communities. Both philosophers realized that in order for racial equality to be achieved, the engrained attitudes of African-Americans had to change as it prevented this from happening (Lang, 2013) . Du Bois and Washington had different ideas on how the black community could be liberated and within the constraints that existed in the 18 th century. Washington builds his ideas along the lines of technical education and Tuskegee, while Du Bois promoted the education of African-Americans for Black leadership in the United States. Washington and Du Bois shared the same objectives on how equality and the standards for African-Americans could be achieved but differed on the approaches on how this could be achieved (Lang, 2013) . The conflict between the two ideologies was that Du Bois's supporters were afraid that the vocational training for African-Americans that was being pioneered by Washington would result in the continued discrimination and segregation of African-Americans in the United States. The conflict between the two philosophers was on how to achieve an all-rounded education system and economic independence for the African-American community. Du Bois was of the notion that education was a lifelong process and not something that can be achieved in several years. Through education, Du Bois believed that African-Americans could build character moderation, nurture the love for beauty, and build an ability to endure. The strength in Washington's philosophy was that African-Americans would achieve racial equality by natural integration (Lang, 2013) . It was only when African-Americans had achieved an economic status; then they would be integrated into society. The weakness in Washington's philosophy was that African-Americans would only seek entry-level jobs after the training they received at Tuskegee and not high paying jobs. Bu Bois's strength was that through education, African-Americans would gain the required knowledge and expertise that was needed in the fight against discrimination and gain economic as well as social independence (Massey, 2011) . Although Du Bois's philosophical perceptions were about race, he used the sociological principles that he had learned at Harvard to identify meaningful solutions to the problems being experienced by African-Americans in the South.

Conclusion 

Racial profiling in the United States is still a problem in the 21 st century. Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics all work together for limited resources in a country that racial equality is only inscribed on paper. Today, these races still compete for the same resources. Segregation against the lines of color has significantly reduced when compared to the lines of class and economic opportunity. Today, police brutality, racial tensions, and violence are a significant concern for people of color in the United States as they still face these disparities in areas of housing, employment, education, and incarceration. This led to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African-American in 2012. Although there are differences in ideologies when compared with Washington's and Du Bois's philosophies, 21 st -century movements still call social justice and racial equality, while using non-violent methods to instigate change.

References 

Lang, C. (2013). Locating the Civil Rights Movement: An Essay on the Deep South, Midwest, and Border South in Black Freedom Studies. Journal of Social History, 47 (2), 371-400.

Solt, F. (2008). Economic Inequality and Democratic Political Engagement. American Journal of Political Science, 52 (1), 48-60.

Massey, D. (2011). The Past & Future of American Civil Rights. Daedalus, 140 (2), 37-54.