DU BOIS “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line”. What do you think Du Bois means?
I believe that when Du Bois stated: “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the colour-line”, he simply and accurately articulated the ideology that the problem of the twentieth century lays within the disunity between races. For me, the statement gives me distinct imagery of a physical line and on opposing sides of that there are two different races; European and African Americans or more bluntly; white and black skin tones. Du Bois highlights that consequently due to this line, African Americans are still targets of discrimination. Moreover, the knowledge I have gained from the unit American writing has allowed me to comprehend and put into perspective why this line and therefore discrimination may exist and still does exist to this day. I have come to the conclusion that the colour-line derives from the social and political inequalities amongst the races. This stems from slavery and white supremacy. However, although these inequalities have been fought against, there is still a profound discrimination residing. This therefore allowed me to question why it may be that even after clear preaching of African Americans for equality, there is still racism. Could this be because it is in human nature for there to be continuous conflict? I Believe that when Du Bois stated this quote, he posed this exact question, urging readers to consider one’s own moral compass and question the way in which we allow history to define our present. As Du Bois resonates these questions, I cannot help but to think of when the ‘line’ itself may break and how this would occur. It is thoughts like this and ideologies stemmed from the idea of the ‘colour-line’ that are needed to move forward in society, hence making Du Bois and his writings a pivotal part of the world.
Feature image: W.E.B DuBois with his famous quote taken from google images https://www.google.com/search?q=du+bois+and+the+colour+line&sxsrf=ACYBGNQbP-zis-BSVzgiAzKWxYm0e5JzNA:1571205166762&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjF7tWui6DlAhUMfysKHeu_AL8Q_AUIEigB&biw=1440&bih=789
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Hi Teneille,
What a great and challenging topic to explore! I like how you have made your ideas and overall point very concise. My favorite point of yours was, “urging readers to consider one’s own moral compass and question the way in which we allow history to define our present”. I feel this resonates not only with Du Bois writing, and other African American writers of the era, but the unit as a whole.
I just wish you had said when and where Du Bois stated this line in order to give a little more context. Added to this, an image of the writer or from this time period dealing with issues of the ‘colour-line’ would’ve supported your blog further. Also, just be careful of capitalisation and punctuation.
Great blog and I look forward to seeing more from you!
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