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"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." - William Shakespeare

I believe that W.E.B. Du Bois had greatness thrust upon him.

I finally finished reading Aristocrats of Color: The Black Elite 1880-1920. I was struck by the ideological battle that took place between the aristocrats and the masses. W.E.B. Du Bois became the main oppositional thought leader to Booker T. Washington. Washington represented the masses, and Du Bois spoke for the aristocrats.

Before reading this book, I did not know what a power broker Booker T Washington was! His followers were called the Tuskeegee Machine. They were die-hard devotees who intimidated and harassed anyone who disagreed with Washington.

Most of the aristocrats disagreed with Washington, but they kept quiet about it. Washington was skilled at currying favor with the white power structure. The whites appreciated his philosophy of appeasement and not pushing for equality. Therefore, he was able to punish any black person who publicly disagreed with him by using his connections to block them from employment. Jobs were scarce for all black people, even the highly educated and genteel ones. So, most of his opponents kept their mouths shut.

That is, until Du Bois came along. Du Bois wasn't looking to become a thought leader, but he rose to the occasion. His writings gave the aristocrats an alternative to Washington, and emboldened them to state how they really felt.

They did not agree with Washington's approach of focusing on trade school education, and accepting second class citizenship in exchange for the ability to make money. The aristocrats wanted full citizenship. And, while they couldn't directly challenge Washington's power, they became more vocal. They set in motion the activities that eventually led to the establishment of the NAACP and the civil rights movement.

But Du Bois wasn't initially trying to create a movement. That's what fascinated me about him. He did not come from money. But he did have an aristocratic upbringing. His dream was to go to Harvard, but he couldn't afford it. So he went to Fisk instead, worked hard, transferred into Harvard for his junior year, and stayed there through grad school, receiving his PhD in History. He dressed in a dapper way - including gloves and a walking stick - and had elevated tastes. He was called a snob, but I know from experience that sometimes people accuse you of being a snob just because you aren't an "everyman."

This "snob," cared so much about his people that he put his own career at risk - something most aristocrats were unwilling to do - and took on the Tuskeegee Machine. He didn't do it to be a hero. He was just being himself. He accepted his usefulness to the cause. His eloquent writing was needed during a turbulent time in which the hot screws of racism were being turned tighter and tighter against all black people, aristocratic and not. 

His story gives me hope that all of us have the same opportunity to be used for a higher purpose. If we are authentically ourselves and do what were are genuinely inspired to do, God/Spirit can use us in unexpected ways.

What about you? What has God put on your heart to do?  What gifts are you sitting on that need to be explored? Are you hiding your light under a bushel? Tell me about it by commenting below.

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Thanks for reading.

Till next time,

Raven