W.E.B. Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868 –1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Massachusetts, Du Bois completed graduate work at the University of Berlin and Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate. A professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University, Du Bois was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.