What Du Bois Said

While celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP, one cannot find it easy to declare the issues of race solved in America anytime soon. Sure, we have an African-American (black) President of the United States. We are about to get our first latina Supreme Court Justice... But what price must we pay for future advancements, and are we willing to pay it?

The underlying issues of race in 2009 America are still poorly cloaked in the cozy entrapment of media, and will not be recorded correctly by corporate historians. NAACP founder W.E.B. Du Bois raised this issue a century ago when he wrote, "One is astonished in the study of history at the recurrence of the idea that evil must be forgotten, distorted, skimmed over. We must not remember that Daniel Webster got drunk but only that he was a splendid constitutional lawyer. We must forget that George Washington was a slave owner . . . and simply remember the things we regard as creditable and inspiring. The difficulty, of course, with this philosophy is that history loses its value as an incentive and example; it paints perfect man and noble nations, but it does not tell the truth..."

True historians are those who know their own histories, and relate them to the events of their times. Those who do not rely on others to define their own works and witness will be those who clearly know their own truth, and value their own life experience. But these historians are not content to know just what they know.

Du Bois also wrote, "A little less complaint and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills..." Know your enemies well, but make sure you're not one of them I'd say...

The history of the NAACP has been accorded more truth than fame. It has fought the good fight, but has not finished its course. Unfortunately, its course will never be complete as we can clearly see the need for more intervention where issues of race and social equity are concerned. We have witnessed what happens when leadership is more interested in repeating empty words and phrases about "loving the troops" while they send those very soldiers to death based on distorted facts and opinions...

We need the NAACP to remind us of the truth when popular culture goads us to pursue fame, and convenience for the sake of institutional traditions that bear false witness about their concerns for our concerns... Du Bois also said, "The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not for fame..." I say truth is wind to the chime. Ring chime... Ring!

G.L.M.