Five (5) Things Activists can learn from Booker T. Washington: An Unlikely Activist

1. Perseverance without Pedigree

Current activists can learn a great deal from Booker T. Washington, including how he persevered, and progressed without the educational pedigree of Dr. W.E.B. DuBois or a Monroe Trotter, who were both Harvard Educated, and apart of what Dr. DuBois would dub the “Talented Tenth.” In addition, activists can look to how we grew Tuskegee Normal school from a small fledgling school to a university with thousands of students, today. The crux of Booker T. Washington’s agenda focused on an industrial education, service occupations and trades, economic empowerment, limited political power, and Biblical ethics and standards. Booker T. Washington’s focus on these tenets of his agenda, is largely due to his background from Hampton Institute where he was educated. Indeed he modeled the school for which he would become famous as its President, Tuskegee Institute, after the example that he experienced at Hampton Institute. Booker T. Washington’s agenda was no doubt unfinished when he transitioned, but his legacy lives on of course through his greatest achievement, Tuskegee University, as well as the other marks that he left on the African American race. Essentially, from his speech at the Atlanta Exposition in 1895 until his transition, in 1915, Booker T. Washington was widely considered, even by his critics, chief among them Dr. DuBois, the “unofficial leader of Black America.” During this period and indeed his life, Booker T. Washington carried out an agenda for what he thought were the keys to advancement for the African American race in America, and the world.

2. Commitment and Conviction

Furthermore, activists can learn from his commitment and work ethic as he traveled and lectured, formed organizations, and owned news publications, in order to help guide his people to achieve greater levels of progress. Booker T. Washington, recognized the importance of industrial education, and focusing on areas, that would be beneficial to the occupations that African Americans were allowed or perhaps relegated to engage in during this time. As a result, Booker T. Washington encouraged the emphasis on such trades as agricultural development, service-oriented positions, and mechanical positions that could afford African Americans opportunities in the labor force. However, Booker T. Washington also had as a major influence, his Biblical background, and in fact instituted regular chapel for Tuskegee’s students. In addition, he demanded proper attire, etiquette and cleanliness of both students and faculty at Tuskegee. In this vein, Booker T. Washington sought to show the white race, that African Americans could be respectable in every sense of the word, and thus likely deemed worthy to enjoy if not equal rights, but greater rights than the law would allow them at the start of the twentieth century.

3. Success Despite Obstacles

Most importantly however, is that activists can learn how to succeed even in the face of opposition, as Booker T. Washington accomplished all these things within the system of Jim Crow segregation. At the turn of the century, African Americans were almost a quarter of a century removed from the end of Reconstruction, and well into the retrenchment of Jim Crow segregation, which essentially reversed much of the progress that African Americans had gained during Reconstruction. Thus, Booker T. Washington, famously proclaimed in his “Atlanta Compromise” Speech, “Cast down your buckets where you are…” Thus, advocating for African Americans to be their best despite the legal limitations of segregation. Booker T. Washington’s economic message was one of being able to develop the African American community separate and apart from the larger white society, and within the limits of segregation. Thus, President Washington advocated for and praised such communities as Tulsa, Oklahoma, which he dubbed upon visiting it, as a “Negro Wall Street” with over 100 businesses in the community prior to its destruction in 1921, some six years after Booker T. Washington’s transition. In addition, he started and led as its President, the National Negro Business League, again attempting to drive home his economic message.

4. Civil Rights is not Monolithic

In addition, an other important lesson that activists can learn from Booker T. Washington is the fact that there is no one way to fight for civil rights. There is no one path. Booker T. Washington, strove for excellence for African Americans to prove their worthiness to the white race, he also, mostly behind the scenes led a struggle against discrimination, and disenfranchisement. These efforts ultimately led to successful legal challenges and campaigns to prevent Black voter disenfranchisement, and unsuccessful legal challenges to desegregate railways for instance. One of Booker T. Washington’s greatest gifts to the Black Race in America, is the arrival of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, to the U.S., at Booker T. Washington’s urging. Although Washington would eventually transition before Garvey’s arrival, it was his example and correspondence that helped draw such a revolutionary figure to U. S. Shores and help to change the identity of Africans in America and around the world. One of the more subtle aspects of Booker T. Washington’s agenda was that of political power for African Americans. This was largely due to his preference for engaging in this power behind the scenes, but nonetheless, Booker T. Washington dined with Presidents, and also befriended barons of industry, including Andrew Carnegie who provided support for his efforts and Tuskegee.

5. Civil Rights Activism Coincides with Criticism

Indeed Booker T. Washington was heavily criticized within the Black community by other well-known Black leaders. This did not stop Washington’s actions in leading and serving his people. He was able to do so despite the critics. Activists should note that the very moment that they become involved in activism, there will be many criticisms, even from within their own ranks. But they should not be deterred, just as Booker T. Washington was not moved by his critics, even if history would prove some of their criticism of him justified.

Therefore, civil rights activists should commit to learning about and emulating the example set by Booker T. Washington, as even his rival, Dr. DuBois described him after his transition, as the greatest African American leader since Frederick Douglas. If you want further helpful content like this, visit us at https://civilrightsuniversity.com.

Until next time,

Continue in your Activism

Sincerely,

Brian