This Week In American History: On February 23, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was key note speaker for civil rights leaders at Carnegie Hall for a benefit celebrating the 100th birthday of W.E.B DuBois. DuBois was the first African American to earn a doctorate. He later became a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University. DuBois was also a civil rights activist.
DuBois, Washington, Garvey At Carnegie Hall
Dr. DuBois himself spoke at Carnegie Hall several times during his life. Two other civil rights leaders: Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey, who represented opposing philosophies on the civil rights movement, also spoke at Carnegie.
DuBois and Washington At Carnegie Hall
DuBois and Washington both spoke at Carnegie Hall in January of 1904 for a conference of prominent black leaders. However, DuBois was reluctant to participate in the 1904 conference. He and Washington had already broken ties publicly as he found Washington’s views too conservative.
Garvey, Carnegie Hall, and the Civil Rights Movement
Marcus Garvey also spoke at Carnegie Hall. He was considered less moderate than both DuBois and Washington. However, the ideals Garvey believed in: brotherhood and black pride, would go on to foreshadow the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
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Info Source: Carnegie Hall
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
