W.E.B (William Edward Burghardt) Du Bois was the first black man to obtain a PhD from Harvard!
He was born in February 23rd, 1868. He was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author and editor. Upon graduating he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University.
At his times Racism was still very strong among the United States, it was the main target of Dubois’s polemics, and he strongly protested against lynching, racists’ laws, and discrimination in education and employment.
He became very famous after getting his PhD and upon graduating saying: “The honor, I assure you, was Harvard’s.”He died in Ghana after becoming a citizen of Accra, where he was buried near his home, which is now the Du Bois Memorial Centre.
It’s for people like DuBois that the United States has not only grown as a country, but has grown in mind and heart.