Word: duboise
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
According to Gates, "DuBois decided what we needed was an Encyclopedia Africana," he said. His hope was to combat racism by eliminating ignorance about black culture around the world.
"DuBois was the man," said Gates, who is also director of the DuBois Institute for Afro-American Studies. "He was the smartest black intellectual in American history."
DuBois raised $125,000 for such an encyclopedia, but the idea was ultimately cancelled when he was labeled too radical. Bitter at this and other failed enterprises, DuBois emigrated to Ghana at the end of his life.
"I heard about [DuBois'] idea as an undergraduate at "I've always loved encyclopedias, so I wanted to edit an encyclopedia and do something good for black people."
While at Cambridge, Gates and Appiah agreed to someday publish their own version of DuBois' dream.