After 120 years, the biggest debate in Black Economics still rages on
Introduction
One of the longest-running debates in Black Economics is still active today: How should Black people navigate the economic system in the United States? What policies and strategies can best promote upward mobility and long-term stability for Black communities? How do we uplift Black people as both men would have said at the time? The debate is not new. Black leaders have been asking these questions for a long time; since the 1890s.
During the 1890s, two influential Black men asked these same questions. They came to embody these arguments. The men were Booker T Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Washington argued for economic power. He preferred a non-confrontational approach, emphasizing black education, employable skills, and community building. WEB DuBois stressed political power: civil rights, education, and leadership guided by an educated elite. Both men were shaped by their backgrounds and the times they lived in. These two visions still shape Black economic thought today.
W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T Washington were both scholars and educators from widely different backgrounds. Du Bois was raised around whites and attended Harvard. He studied in Germany. He was the first Black PHD from Harvard. Booker T Washington was born a slave and self-educated. He later taught at Tuskegee Institute and was the most well-known African American at the time.
Both worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Black people. W.E.B. Du Bois argued for political power and equality. He championed civil rights, helped found the NAACP, and researched he lives of Black people.
Washington argued for economically valuable skills that would be successful in a white dominated economy. He advocated for Black self-improvement and industrial education and skills that would make them economically independent in a white-dominated society.
Philosophical Questions
Underneath the debate are real philosophical questions. How should Black people engage with white America? These discussions are still with us today, as seen in the arguments between black nationalists and integrationists. How pragmatic vs. idealist should black people be in our society?
How do we balance the competing ideas of black civil rights and economic advancement?
Should Black economic strategy be grounded in pragmatic compromise with white society, or should it look to more liberation-oriented visions of Black uplift?
This is the debate we live with today.
Ideas
Both men agreed that education was the best way to uplift black people. Washington supported industrial education, while WEB Du Bois wanted to develop leaders with a liberal, classical education.
Booker T Washington’s (born into slavery in 1856) idea was that Blacks should be self-sufficient. He emphasized self-improvement and industriousness while asking for acceptance of segregation. He did not support integration. He said that if white’s would leave Black people alone, they would be fine. He supported education. His focus was on Black economic stability.
Booker T Washing was the leading black intellectual in white society at the time. He met with the presidents and industry leaders. BTW gave a famous speech called the Atlanta Compromise Speech in 1896. In his Atlanta Compromise speech, he said Blacks and whites could be “separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand” in work.
WEB Bu Bois (born 1868, Barrington Mass). He attended Fisk University with money raised from local people. He later attended Harvard and graduated with a PHD. He went on to help found the NAACP and edit the Crisis newspaper.
At the turn of the century and now?
To understand the philosophies, you have to go back in time. Return to the 1890s. You have to imagine what life was like for the average Black person at the turn of the century.
Ok, I want you to stop reading right now. Take a minute to imagine what your life might have been like in 1900s. Do it now!
In 1900, Reconstruction had failed, Jim Crow was entrenched in society, and the Ku Klux Klan was at its height of power. Racial terrorism was common in the South, and discrimination was widespread in the North. In 1910, Lynchings were widespread across the South.
There were no civil rights for Black people. Blacks led largely separate lives. Most African-Americans worked on farms and as domestic servants. Some worked in trades and factories. The great migration had yet to occur.
The Debate
Let’s look at the details of the debate. Du Bois wanted equal rights for black people. Blacks should be led by the “Talented 10%.” The educated Blacks who are in service to the Black masses. WEB Du Bois saw political power as the path to equal rights.
Booker T Washington’s approach was built on industriousness, self-improvement, trades, skill development, and self-reliance. He wanted to build successful black communities that did not rely on whites. He also supported accommodation polices with whites. Blacks should not agitate for civil rights but instead accept their current situation: de facto segregation. Washington feared racial violence in the Southern states.
Washington accepted segregation as a temporary reality. He believed that economic stability had to come first—and that agitating for civil rights could invite more violence, especially in the South.
How does history look at the debate?
Historians agree that both men were right – at their time: 1900. Du Bois was right: Black people want an end to lynching and an end to racism. They both wanted civil rights and political rights.
However, the jury is still out deciding. Washington’s approach may be more impactful in our current times, now that Blacks have achieved some level of political power and equal rights. Thanks to, Du Bois and the achievements of the civil rights movement. Political power now comes from economic power. As Black people achieved political power, our economic power has waned. Washington’s focus on skills development, character, and self-improvement may be the right strategy for the long term.
What they got wrong
Famously, both men were products of their upbringing and times. Before you criticize, you have to think about the time they lived in: 1900.
WEB Du Bois – Believed in a talented 10% leading Black people. Liberally, classically educated men will lead us.
Booker T Washington – Do not challenge the existing law. Status quo. Economic power will win.
The real debate was over which idea would help the majority of Black people in the US. Another issue is that integrationist ideas help only elite blacks while leaving the rest behind. This strategy often left the majority of Black people in the US: women and the non-college-educated.
Dubois ultimately won at the time, which helped lead to the modern civil rights movement, but many are now thinking Washington’s views on economics should have been given more prominence.
Who won?
Who won is a complicated question. We believe both men won because they both wanted to uplift Black people. Here at BlackEconomics.com, we believe that DuBois was right for his time, but that ultimately, Washington’s ideas were better over the long term. Black America has neglected the lesson of Washington: It is best to have valuable skills that support employment and community building. Power comes from economic power in a capitalist and racist country.
Three examples of why Washington might be right
There are three examples of why Washington ideas might be right for our current times: Black political participation, Jewish immigrants, and recent tech immigrants.
Blacks have soured on the political process and political power as a path for Black uplift. After the gains of the 1960s to 1980s, Black political power has largely stagnated. Another example is that of Jewish immigrants who fled Nazi Germany and later to excelled in key industries in the US based on education. A final example is recent immigrants who specialize in technology jobs. All groups are largely absent from the political process and focus purely on economic issues. They seem to follow Washington’s philosophy.
It is important to note that immigrant success was a result of political freedoms and reforms created by Black people during the civil rights movement.
However, at the time, both Booker T Washington and WEB Du Bois were right.
Summary
The debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois has left a lasting legacy on Black America and the country as a whole. Both men were right, but Washington’s focus on economic empowerment, self-reliance, and building strong communities proved more practical over time.
As Black Americans continue to face economic challenges, Washington’s emphasis on education, skills development, and economic independence remains just as relevant today.
While political power is important, economic power often proves to be more enduring. True power in society is not just about votes and laws—it’s about creating wealth, generating jobs, and fostering sustainable communities.
Black Americans today should look to the lessons of both Du Bois and Washington. We can draw from their ideas to build a better, more equitable future.