The Conservation of Races [Original - Unabridged - Classicals - Best of all time]

by W.E.B. Du Bois

The American Negro Academy believes that upon those of the race who have had the advantages of higher education and culture, rests the responsibility of taking concerted steps for the employment of these agencies to uplift the race to higher planes of thought and action. Two great obstacles to this consummation are apparent: (a) The lack of unity, want of harmony, absence of a self-sacrificing spirit, and no well-defined line of policy seeking definite aims; and (b) The persistent, relentless, at times covert opposition employed to thwart the Negro at every step of his upward struggles to establish the justness of his claim to the highest physical, intellectual and moral possibilities. The Academy will, therefore, from time to time, publish such papers as in their judgment aid, by their broad and scholarly treatment of the topics discussed the dissemination of principles tending to the growth and development of the Negro along right lines, and the vindication of that race against vicious assaults.

Genres: Nonfiction, Academic, Classics, Sociology, American

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

In 1868, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced 'doo-boyz') was born in Massachusetts. He attended Fisk College in Nashville, then earned his BA in 1890 and his MS in 1891 from Harvard. Du Bois studied at the University of Berlin, then earned his doctorate in history from Harvard in 1894. He taught economics and history at Atlanta University from 1897-1910. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) made his name, in which he urged black Americans to stand up for their educational and economic rights. Du Bois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and edited the NAACP's official journal, "Crisis," from 1910 to 1934. Du Bois turned "Crisis" into the foremost black literary journal. The black nationalist expanded his interests to global concerns, and is called the "father of Pan-Africanism" for organizing international black congresses.

Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.

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Reviews

[Gabriel Avocado · Rating 2 out of 5]

dubois was corny af!!!! prostitutes marching straight towards hell? black laziness? shut the fuck up man. he proposes some interesting things but like oh my god enough

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Du Bois conceives of races as biological (“blood”) and spiritual entities. I think this concept is a problem not a solution.

[John Jacobi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because his anthropology was so spotty and outdated, the majority of the book seemed not worth reading. I read the first few chapters, but the best of the book is in the introduction and conclusion, and perhaps his musings on the "negro situation" in America. His introduction gives a good look at his overall project: provide an organization that will lead the development of a "negro message" to civilization.

Was interesting to see how embedded in the Western project Du Bois' thought was. He mentions things like "that one far-off Divine event" of the unity of the human race; he mentions the need to develop racial messages; in short, he hardly shies away from the race idea the way modern black thinkers seem to.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

He almost had my sympathy with the talk of how hard it is integrate, but then, he said he didn't want to integrate as a people. Also he gives black people too much credit. White people can be good at things, too. Never again will I read anything of his.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a challenging article. Lots to chew on here.

[K Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

WEB DuBois shows us how important it is to work within on our bias as we work towards a more just world.

Black folks have something valuable to contribute to our global society.

[Emilie Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really relevant to the current political system of the United States: to be a good American is to be a bad BPOC, but to be a good BPOC is to be a bad American.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty fascinating essay/book given the time it was written

[Galicius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong message here. My only reservation was that Mr. DuBois claims that the Magyars are Slavs. They are not, they area Magyars or Hungarians.

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ideas in this, but it was only a very short paper.