Def Vs Dubois

Improved Essays
In American history, there has been a plethora of individuals who have gone down in the books as the best of the best in their contribution to African American history, both the past and the present. African American history has dated as early as 1903 with W.E.B Dubois to Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def in 1984. These two phenomenal activists all paved the way for a long legacy of Black culture, music, education, and social justice.Today, the two of these activists lie in many social movements, including the Black Lives Matter movement with similar ideas, feelings and issues . W.E.B Dubois and Mos Def both introduce racism, including African American lynchings and social issues that went on from early 1900’s until present day. To begin with, W.E.B Dubois …show more content…
Yasiin Bey was born on December 11th, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York. Bey is an activist, comedian, recording activist, actor and comedian. He started in 1999 with his first album being Afrocentric, and stating that he is bringing hip hop back to its soapbox roots. His music was full of soul and power, relating to several social issues, political issues and police brutality. In 2000, Yasiin created a project named “ Hip hop for respect” against police brutality. Following that he appeared on a television show called 4real to discuss crime and social problems within the community. Also, contributing in Black owned movies like Spike Lee’s film “ Bamboozled”. Yasiin Bey has been a phenomenal activist in the 21st century, as W.E.B Dubois was a phenomenal activist in the 20th century in which they both created huge associations, panels, congress and projects, which contributed to Black culture, Africa, and Unity. The paradigm is reflected in Yasiin work because throughout his music he references Africa, slavery, and muslim. He also discusses his feelings on tv shows, movies that discuss these topics and interviews. Mos Def feels that Black unity is hard to come by being in America. According to radio.com, He states “It’s really America’s a very challenging place for …show more content…
I also noticed how these two had two totally different methods in telling the story of racism, contributing to the abolishment of brutality, unequal treatments. Yasiin Bey chose a lyrical route and W.E.B Dubois chose the written route, specifically by creating 21 books. While writing and reflecting on this assignment, I noticed that not only could they create change, but they both did it in two different ways. Seeing that made me question why my generation always says “ oh we can’t do nothing”. I believe just as these two created their own routes to show us our roots and history, we could create a way too. Currently, our parents generation and my generation are currently involved in flourishing the Black Lives Matter movement, which shows the most current deaths, police brutality, inequality, and racism. It is a social movement like our ancestors, but its from us not them. Using primary sources is helpful in African American studies because it allows you to see what actually occurred and the emotions/feelings behind it. Also, it shows how we can also contribute to our

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois arguably two of the most important people of their time and definitely in African American history. But my, argument is who was more important, who made a bigger impact, and who had greater beliefs. I believe that W.E.B. Dubois had a greater impact than Booker T. Washington did. I feel like W.E.B. Dubois had greater beliefs and saw the bigger picture a lot better than Booker T. Washington. My first argument toward this belief is that there approaches were a lot different and the way they thought.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    W. E. B Dubois Philosophy

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages

    E. B. Dubois was intelligent african american historian and philosopher. Dubois confronts the social issues of suffrage and education. He promoted black suffrage, supported women's voting rights and equivalent insurance under the law, championed access to advanced education, fashioning the "gifted tenth" building up the best of one's race. That they may control the mass far from defilement and demise of the most exceedingly bad in their own particular and different races. Dubois states “ I am birth and law a free black american citizen”(p15).We all our born with rights, if neglected we will always be in danger.…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    They both had different philosophies that were impactful in their own ways. Booker T Washington supported civil rights through evolution. WEB Dubois supported civil rights more through a revolution. Booker T Washington exhorted an attitude of self-help, white and black agreement, and finally compromise. A quote from washington was “character, not circumstances make the man”( Booker T Washington).WEB…

    • 2264 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Washington Vs Dubois Essay

    • 1266 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Following the Civil War, African Americans were heavily discriminated against making it extremely difficult to progress in a white society. Newly freed slaves struggled with fitting into society because before, they had been viewed as nothing but property. As free men, gaining a place in their communities was problematic and many ideas arose on how to improve their situations. From this, two great thinkers, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, emerged and came up with different ideas for African Americans to emerge in society. Although their opinions may differ, they have one common idea: self improvement.…

    • 1266 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Du Bois and Booker T. Washington both sought after African American rights despite different approaches to the issue. Throughout their lives, they went through many of their own struggles, both similar and different. They both ended up become successful activists, speakers, and even writers. Although many people had their personal preference of the two, one thing was for certain; they both carried a legacy that still remains…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    After the Civil War, African Americans were freed from the bondage of slavery and released into society as human beings, something they were not seen as before. The racial tension following the abolition of slavery was very evident in the south and taken at different angles by different people. Freedmen now expect freedom and equality while the whites in the south, and even some of the government were not ready to see the African Americans as equal citizens. Because of the disagreement of the future of the citizenship of the Blacks, there was a huge racial divide throughout America that affected African Americans throughout the country.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Malcolm X Dbq

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shortly after the end of World War II, America was faced with a new, domestic issue: The Civil Rights Movement. Although the movement began much earlier than this, it wasn’t brought to America’s priority until the war ended. The Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs. The Board of Education case sparked the attention of many Americans to the struggle for school integration. This court decision then started an entire civil rights crusade that would change social life in America forever. Such a significant cause needed very strong and dedicated leaders, and no one else best fit those positions than Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. While both leaders strove to reach the same goal of racial equality, the two had very different methods in which they endeavored…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The late 1800s were a strange time for “black” people because although they were supposedly freed from slavery they were still dealing with tones of racial persecution while trying to assert themselves into the dominate society. A debate aroused as to how “black” people should approach their new status in society and how they should deal with the continued racism they were facing. The two individuals at the frontline of this debate were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois. One may wonder how activists during the time of slavery such as Frederick Douglass would have approached the issue and whose argument he would have prefered. I think if Fredrick Douglass had still been alive he would have taken the side of W.E.B Dubois because they both…

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The United States of America, are rich in history but not always the world know the reality of all races of this country. One of the races that many people are trying exclude is the colored race, African American people. For many years they suffered the power of the wealthy people “whites”. Between the time was passing many names have been appearing, names like Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, W.E.B Dubois and many other people that where figthed for the rights of the colored people. Thanks to them African-American people are considered part of the society nowadays.…

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    As the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Carmichael was the manifestation of the growing frustration with the lack of progress achieved under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. Carmichael’s political philosophy accentuated the importance of racial solidarity and the development of black social and cultural institutions with the key objective of nurturing and promoting black interests. More importantly, Carmichael called for the reinforcement of black values through the emergence of black pride. He alludes to these principles in Toward Black Liberation insisting that “ Our concern for black power addresses itself directly to this problem, the necessity to reclaim our history and our identity from the cultural terrorism and depredation of self-justifying white guilt”(Jones, 270). Carmichael’s attitude embodies a thoroughly disparate approach towards civil rights activism. His emphasis on “ Black Power” in this passage is a paragon of the growing divergence between the two factions in modern black political thought.…

    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Booker T. Washington and W. E. B DuBois used different strategies when dealing with the problems faced by African Americans at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Segregation was a big problem during this time and African Americans were the ones facing the brunt of this issue. Both Washington and DuBois tried to fight for equality of African Americans and were in hopes that their actions, as well as programs, would help aid society toward agreeing with them. Washington was more about trying to gradually institute equality whereas DuBois took a more immediate approach. Even though Washington and DuBois took on different views, it can be agreed that both men took important steps to improve equality for African Americans…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Black love is black wealth’ is a quote from illustrious poet Nikki Giovanni in her poem “Nikki Rosa”. In this poem she orates the circumstances of her childhood and how the portrayal of her memories may be interpreted as tragic, even though she was indeed happy. She explains the love within a family and community can dull the sting of poverty, likewise the Black Power Movement thrived on solidarity within the community. Living in the post- Civil Rights era, one may wonder if the oppression of black people has dwindled down. Unfortunately, we are living under very similar conditions as the Black Power Movement of the 70’s.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    As years have passed the movement “Black Lives Matter has become a transformative outlet for all black people from different historical, cultural, socioeconomic and political identities. It is a source of solidarity for the survivors of colonization, exploitation, capitalism and police brutality.” ( Miah, Malik.) African Americans have used this movement to bring each other together and fight for what is still persistent, which is racism. There has been controversy about “BLM” which stretched the opinion that the movement was very racist.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    THESIS The black prophetic fire has become lost among African American individuals. In this book, scholar, philosopher, author, and black activist Dr. Cornel West exchanges dialogue with Christa Buschendorf about what the black prophetic tradition means to him and six African American historical individuals who are prime examples of what black prophetic fire should be. SUMMARY…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Black Nationalism

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Having been and continuing to be ruptured by colonization, enslavement, and racism, Africa and its people have continuously been estranged from not only the homeland, but one another. Through this allocation of separation, there is an inherent need for “Africans of diverse backgrounds to come together through a shared interest, experience, and vision to achieve the goal of human liberation”, which is Black Nationalism (Defining Black Nationalism, 1). In addition to Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism has had a tremendous role in the effort to bring the African diaspora and African community together. Through the advocacy of Pan-Africanism, the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to "unify and uplift"…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays