Evaluate the contributions of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois to the Harlem Renaissance - Essay Example

Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois Contributions to the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance has its roots in the migration of African Americans to the industrial centers as production needs boosted job opportunities during the World War 1 (Gifford 3). In this crisis arising in the early 1920s, an influential social thinker W. E. B. Du Bois called for what he termed as a renaissance of American Negro. DU Bois stated that a renaissance was necessary for the heart-rending race tangle was rich beyond dreams and only the Blacks could tell their tale while singing it from the heart (Gifford 2).

He called for racial pride among Harlem Blacks as the area had a diverse population and black people discrimination was soaring. Following his call for racial pride, a movement called the United Negro Improvement Association was formed, turning most Blacks into adopting the socialist and communist social practices (Gifford 2). The movement preceded a united front of African Americans from all social and economic points unwilling to settle for further oppressions. This rebellion received unprecedented publishing job opportunities among the African Americans.

Activists like W. E. B. Du Bois used this opportunities to influence and motivate the people into racial consciousness and pride. Harlem Renaissance’s artistic output had two ideologies; one presented by Du Bois and others who saw artistic art as a platform where talented African Americans could lead in the fight for equality (Gifford 4).Du Bois contributed heavily towards the organization of the Niagara Movement, an assembly of black leaders opposed to the Washingtons leadership and was committed to fighting for civil equality for African Americans.

This movement, however, never achieved a firm institutional foundation except for that it signaled a new black assertiveness and contributing directly to the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Du Bois moved to New York City where he took office as the director of publicity for NAACP his role being to edit its monthly journal, ‘The Crisis’ (Gifford 3). Organized economic and political movements helped the Harlem Renaissance by creating a new sense of power (Gifford 4).

In his work The New Negro, Du Bois exudes a sense of social pride that was the theme in the Harlem Renaissance. Du Bois emphasizes the need for a united race in conquering discrimination. Using his artistic wits and social privileges, Du Bois provided a liberating step in the search for Africa American cultural identity and on their terms. Using Negro Art, he argued that Blacks had the right to receive just treatment and not treated unfairly and tainted as prostitutes and criminals (Gifford 4).

Du Bois’ presence was significant in several ways, ‘The New Negro’ in his collection ‘The Souls of Black Folk’ was the first attempt to revise the collective portrait of African Americans. The arguments indicate that Du Bois formed one of the towering figures in African American history. His public service to the Blacks delivered eloquently on what he referred to as ‘the problem of the color line’ as the problem of the twentieth century. His contribution helped service the African-American race through challenging situations and in the elimination of disappointments felt resulting from the limited opportunities (Gifford 3).

Gifford states that art and culture reformed the African American Brotherhood and a representation in the publishing field was an achievement as it was elite in character hence a source of pride (5).Works CitedGifford, Nina. The Harlem Renaissance. www.learner.org/courses/./Harlem-Ren_L-One.pdf:University of California, Los Angeles, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. .