Monday, February 23, 2009

From Du Bois to Obama

W. E. B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King, Jr. shared many key characteristics. Both were influential men in achieving racial equality. Unfortunately, neither Du Bois nor King lived to see the gains they strived for African Americans come to fruition. Du Bois handed off his legacy to King to carry on where he had left off. Du Bois died the day before Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech, which some herald as the greatest speech ever given. Although neither King nor Du Bois lived to see the equality of all people of color, King believed this equality would happen in time. Just as Du Bois wrote powerfully about the racial inequalities and injustices of African Americans, King spoke powerfully. King and Du Bois also had similar writing styles; both wrote in prose. They used biblical language and powerful imagery. Du Bois wanted changes “now,” and was not satisfied with sitting patiently and waiting, like other contemporaries, namely Booker T. Washington. In similar fashion, neither was King satisfied with waiting patiently for changes, as he called for immediate action with the infamous phrase “now is the time” in his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech (King, 1968). King accomplished what Du Bois was not able to. Du Bois paved the path for King’s civil rights revolution that changed the course of history for racial minorities. Changes in civil rights for minorities did not occur immediately, as Du Bois and King wanted. The journey is still not over; the path continues to be paved by others. However, in the 21st century, Barak Hussein Obama biblically proclaimed “The time is now” in his inaugural speech as the first African American President of the United States (New York Times, 2009). As President Obama declared in his inaugural speech, “A man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath (New York Times, 2009).”
What similarities do you see between W. E. B. Du Bois and President Barak Obama?


King, M. L. (1968). “I have a dream” address delivered at the march on Washington for jobs and Freedom. (August 28, 1963). http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/address_at_march_on_washington.pdf. Accessed: February 22, 2009.

New York Times. 2009. Barak Obama’s Inaugural Address. (January 20, 2009). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-obama.html. Accessed: February 22, 2009.

7 comments:

  1. I see one major similarity between W. E. B. Du Bois and President Barak Obama that similarity is that both of them are trying to make change happen. We see how Du Bois helped changed the course of history by paving the path for king’s civil rights revolution. President Barak Obama is also paving the road for something, change in the way we look at the world and how we view ourselves as a nation. Like Du Bois, President Barak Obama’s' plan will take time, but the fact that he is president already show really how far we have come as a nation united.

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  2. Du Bois, MLK and barack Obama all have something in common: they have fought for equality but in different periods. Initially, it was Du Bois who was defending racial equality in the United States and paved the way for Luther King, and fortunate enough, Barack Obama, our current president, was able to achieve the dream that Du Bois and Martin Luther King fought for all their life. One can say that Du Bois and Obama have something in common: their determination to achieve equality in the U.S., but in addition, just like Obama's campaign's motto implied, "The Time is Now," something that Du Bois had. Du Bois wanted to see drastic changes immediately, and even though some of those changes occurred throughout time, in Obama's case, it was his time to govern this country and at the same time to unite all the people in the country regardless the color of their skin, their gender, their sexual preferences, and their religious beliefs. It is amazing to see how historical figures like Du Bois and MLK has led this country to have an African-American at the White House, something that 40 years ago was still seen by many as impossible.
    And last, but not least, I see how Obama is paving the way for others to succeed in this wonderful nation; probably, the next president will be Hispanic, something that might sound awkward for some but that for others, it might sound promising and very likely to occur.

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  3. Other than the obvious similarities-- both men are "black" and are interested in the progression of the race-- I see other similarities. Du Bois talks about a double consciousness. He claims that being black leads people to have this because they can see themselves, and they can also see how the rest of society (primarily the white or non-oppressed person)looks at them. Barak Obama has certainly experienced this because he was raised by his grandparents who were white. I'm sure he realized that he was "different," and even though his caretakers and family may not have treated him differently because of this, some of his class mates probably did. Both men are linked in another way. As the original blog states, Du Bois paved the way for activists like MLK. If it were not for all of the hard work that these activists put into their strive for equality, Obama would not have had the opportunity to hold the position he does today.

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  4. Du Bois's idea of Cultural Oppression can be seen in the notion of having the first African-American in 2008. People of clolor have been politically and economically oppressed and that is why it took so long for a man of color to become president. Accordnign to Du Bois history plays a critical role in legitimizing oppresseive stuctures. This is seen in the manner that people of color have not had positions of power unitl recent years, and still today we lack those positions.

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  5. The similarities between W.E.B. Du Bois and the first African American President of the United States Barak Hussein Obama are many, for instance both of them are from the same ethnicity and in both cases they have found their way out of that oppression to fight for that cultural oppression. They also have in common that their achievements have been enormous. It could be said that they are following a pattern that is being completed by different persons at different times for the well being of the politically and economically oppressed minorities of color.

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  6. Barak Obama and W.E.B. Du Bois have one obvious similarity, being educated Black men. I believe Du Bois was a key if not the most influential person who brought change into our vocab. He paved the way for Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders to stand up and fight for change and equality. Like wise these leaders paved the way for Obama.
    These men also share the idea of double consciousness, the idea that the oppressed have an extra view on life that of being oppressed and at the same time can see the dominate culture. I can only hope that Obama can use his double consciousness to help the people of this nation.

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  7. They both have race in common along with the hunger to get ahead. They share the idea of doublecounciousness that Du Bois talked about. Obama is half white and half black and having to deal with both races. They both are very influencing in advancing a minority and being a leader after being oppressed.

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