In The souls of black folk, Du Bois (1903) argues that African Americans lack equal rights with their white counterparts. He supports his claim by stating that this demographic group started experiencing problems during the Civil War and period of Reconstruction. Du Bois narrates that color-line issues were more common in the twentieth century and contributed to the increased inequality in the United States (Du Bois, 1903).
During this time, the race veil led to double-consciousness whereby the black people learned to look at themselves through other people’s eyes. According to this book section, strategies like the invention of African American schools and programs like the educator aimed to improve the group’s access to education and improve their position in society. Dubois disagrees with Washington’s political program that proposes that black Americans valued property ownership than their civil and voting rights.
I find the author’s argument compelling because, for many years, black Americans have experienced discrimination, inequality, and denied access to social services like education. The protests conducted through the Black Lives Matter movement further supports this issue. The demographic group uses the platform to fight against violence and police brutality it experiences in the country (Bleich et al., 2019).
Recent events, such as George Floyd’s murder, demonstrate that African Americans are systematically discriminated against in their land and have to fight for justice and healing. Du Bois stated that lack of access to education and civil rights were the primary cause of economic dominance among the blacks. This issue is still prevalent today since most of them fail to qualify for well-paying jobs due to a lack of skills often earned from quality colleges and universities (Weller, 2019). This article encourages the readers to have a more comprehensive understanding of the inequality issues facing African Americans.
References
Bleich, S. N., Findling, M. G., Casey, L. S., Blendon, R. J., Benson, J. M., SteelFisher, G. K. & Miller, C. (2019). Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of black Americans. Health Services Research, 54, 1399-1408. Web.
Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The souls of black folk. Yale University Press.
Weller, C. (2019). African Americans face Systematic Obstacles to Getting Good Jobs. Web.