Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois led the black community in the fight against discrimination and towards their liberation. The two leaders believed in the call for just treatment and equal treatment for the African Americans. Contributions from the two had a huge impact on the transformation of the lives of black citizens in American society (Adams, 2015). The two leaders, however, had differences on their ideologies on the social and economic progress of the black community. The two leaders had the same objectives for African Americans, but their methodologies in achieving those goals were different, and this was mainly because of their different backgrounds.
Booker T. Washington urged the black community to give in to discrimination for the time being from the whites, and instead put focus and concentration on self-elevation. He urged blacks to work hard and aim at material prosperity. Washington believed in education, tertiary skills and a culture of patience and enterprise. According to him, the above could have made the whites think otherwise about the blacks and make the blacks earn respect which in turn could have resulted in their integration into the society as American citizens. On the other hand, W.E.B. Du Bois opposed Washington's strategy. He termed it as a form of perpetuating white oppression. Du Bois instead rallied for political action and called for a push of civic rights agenda. According to Du Bois social change could be attained with the development of a small group of educated blacks who he referred to as "The Talented Tenth."
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In conclusion, despite the two leaders having the same goals towards the liberation of the blacks, the two differed in their approaches. Washington was more or of the patient type who preferred a slower approach towards racial discrimination. Du Bois was the action type who preferred an aggressive approach to improving African American lives.
Reference
Adams, NP (2015) The correspondence of WEB du bois and booker T . Washington - open.bu.edu
