‘History Bites’ Lunchtime Lecture Series
Friday, May 3 at 12:15 p.m.
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity Street, Amherst, MA
The Struggle to Remember WEB Du Bois in the Town of his Birth
W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most influential and controversial scholar-activists of the twentieth century. His legacy includes, in addition to his best-known book, The Souls of Black Folk,shelves full of path-breaking scholarly works, novels, plays, pageants and essays. He is best remembered, however, for his political work, as a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, editor of its journal The Crisis, and a co-convener of Pan-African Congresses that paved the way for the decolonization of Africa, to name but a few of his accomplishments. This man of distinction was born in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. One would think that his birth community would take pride in him as their most world-famous son. However, in 1969 attempts to dedicate a memorial park to Du Bois were met with vociferous and threatening opposition from some in the community. This talk will describe the significance of the memorial park, the circumstances surrounding the controversial dedication ceremony and work that has since sought to confront the racial and political opposition to Du Bois in the town of his birth.
David Glassberg is a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also serves as an advisor to the university’s W.E. B. Du Bois Center. Professor Glassberg’s research concerns the history of popular historical consciousness in America as represented in politics, culture, and the environment. Among his publications are American Historical Pageantry: The Uses of Tradition in the Early Twentieth Century (1990), and Sense of History: The Place of the Past in American Life (2001).
Join us with your lunch in hand. We will provide coffee, tea or cider for you as you listen to the presentations. The 30-minute program will begin promptly at 12:15 with seating and beverages ready just before noon. The lectures are free and everyone is welcome to attend. For updated information, check our website at www.amhersthistory.org.
This is the final History Bites lunchtime lecture of the Spring season. History Bites will return in September. We will post the new schedule in August.
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