The 150th Commemoration of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Birth and His Letter to John F. Kennedy
A week into John Kennedy’s presidency, the great civil rights leader and scholar W.E.B. Du Bois typed a letter to the new president. The letter is among the massive scholarly work of Du Bois at the University of Massachusetts and is now on display in a glass case at the Mason Library in Great Barrington, […]
W.E.B. Du Bois’ roots as a teenager reporter
An ambitious mix of programs in Great Barrington celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of noted social justice activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Hats off to Randy Weinstein, Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant and others for the array of perspectives on the town native’s life. You can glimpse the bedrock of Du Bois’s investigative prowess as a […]
Art in honor: W.E.B. Du Bois mural goes up in Great Barrington
They packed the alley for the native son. At the downtown unveiling of a new mural honoring W.E.B. Du Bois, around 100 people came for the big impact of a little mural in a small-town alley — now known as Du Bois Alley. The mural and local celebration of the Du Bois’ legacy is “long […]
Tribute to Du Bois’ 150th birthday kicks off with new exhibit and youth involvement
The month-long celebration of the 150th birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois kicked off Thursday (Jan. 18) with a trifecta: the opening of an exhibit of the famous African-American scholar in the Mason Library, the unveiling of an alley mural celebrating his life, and a reading about Du Bois by young writers. The birthday events for […]
Make America Great, Du Bois-style: Unsent petition to JFK asks for sweeping changes
Nearly 50 years ago, someone wanted a U.S. president to make America great. A hard-hitting petition written in 1961 by W.E.B. Du Bois to John F. Kennedy — but never sent — mapped out what Du Bois said was the way to gain the world’s respect, and told Kennedy that African-Americans held great hope that […]
At service kicking off Du Bois festival, MLK Day speaker hits on complex roles of ‘agents of change’
From the packed parish room at First Congregational Church, a call was made for grace, compassion, love and fearlessness. But one speaker at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day interfaith service also dialed a wake-up call reminder of the messiness and reality of the struggle for all forms of equality, and the disservice done to […]
Anticipation builds as Great Barrington prepares to mark 150th anniversary of W.E.B. Du Bois’ birth
GREAT BARRINGTON — When W.E.B. Du Bois is on the agenda, it’s a happy night at Town Hall. Anticipation met excitement, and expressions of gratitude were abundant as a local group organizing a long festival for William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’ 150th birthday celebration got permission from the town Selectboard on Monday to hang banners […]
Great Barrington Town Hall Briefs: Du Bois celebration; Tim Drumm to retire; Blue Hill Road residents demand action
Du Bois 150th set to begin Monday, Jan. 15 Great Barrington — Plans to celebrate the 150th birthday of Great Barrington’s most famous resident have been finalized and will include a month’s worth of events and activities. Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant, who directs Multicultural BRIDGE and co-chairs the Du Bois 150th Committee, was on hand in Town Hall […]
