Black Paths of Leadership essays

Black Paths of Leadership essays Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, and Marcus Garvey were all leaders in a black community that was struggling to earn rights that they had strived for for so long. In America, blacks were still without a home, as they were titled citizens yet did not really live the life of a citizen. Blacks were separated from society, as separate but equal became legal and was thought of as fair by the whites of the nation. In an epoch when times were rough, these three men made valiant efforts to relieve these African-Americans of the pain they had suffered for so long. Booker T. Washington was born a slave and began his life without formal education. It was this fact that led to him to desire education for all blacks. After working since he was nine years old, he enrolled at the Hampton Institute when he was sixteen years old. After graduating, he spent a few years as a teacher and understood that his role as a teacher could change the situation of many of his fellow blacks. He left his home and began work at Tuskegee Institute, which became a prominent institution in Alabama. Washingtons main strength lied in the fact that he was practical, and wanted to teach practical skills to blacks. This method he figured, would enable blacks to integrate into society as quickly as possible. His main weakness however lied in the fact that Washington often acted as though he was a dictator. Regardless, Washington helped to improve equality in this country. W.E.B Dubois was a well-educated man, a fact that enabled him to work on setting new standards for blacks. Dubois was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In this town, he was the first black to graduate from his high school, a trend that would continue for much of his adult life. After attending Fisk University, he became the first black to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University. After his days of education were over, he began to return the favor by teaching. H...