Booker T. Washington has been a leader in the black community for many years. He thought that blacks couldn’t improve their position until they reached a point of development where equality was unavoidable. He held a different view on racism, social injustice, economic development, and other problems facing the black community. He urged blacks not to worry about money and education but rather focus on maintaining strong community ties. In time, this would lead to a black community full of professionals, including doctors, lawyers and architects.
He thought that the black community had to accept their reality and work hard to achieve a better tomorrow. The black community was going to evolve from poverty and become something that no one could deny as equals. Meanwhile, blacks are advised to avoid political confrontations and politics. This led to him being viewed as a swindler by many. It was his belief that the blacks should be able to work for themselves before they can demand political rights. He believed blacks should be responsible for their own success. Booker T. Washington sought the help of the whites, not equality. On the other hand W.E.B Dubois emphasized the opposite. Dubois focused his efforts on a gradualist strategy. According to the gradualist political philosophy, Dubois believed that blacks must be book-smart in order to succeed. He thought that blacks should have the same education as whites and a high IQ, which comes from reading, writing and formal education. He wanted blacks in his race to make progress intellectually. Dubois thought that the smarter blacks became, the more they would be equal to whites. Dubois claimed that economic stability was not enough for blacks, and they should be educated. Dubois was mainly a continuation of Booker T. Washington. Dubois, unlike Booker T. Washington, wanted to give blacks equal opportunities. He wanted to see blacks have equal opportunities and be treated equally with whites.
Booker T. Washington emphasized the importance of education and real-life employment, rather than asking whites to grant them equality. He was only interested in getting assistance from whites, and accepting his place on Earth as a black. WEB Dubois’ main focus was to gain equality and education, so that he could be well-educated and book-smart. He wanted to achieve both equality and education. Booker T. Washington was a great segregation leader who held two different views.
