A Birthday Gift for Dr. Du Bois
Donation protected
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s story begins on his birthday—February 23, 1868—in the small rural town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, but his legacy extends well beyond his death in Ghana in 1963.
In 1885, Du Bois left his home in Massachusetts for Fisk University in Tennessee where he earned an Bachelors degree. After a period of study in Berlin, DuBois was admitted to Harvard University and became the first African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from that institution in 1895.
DuBois’s vision was of a world without human exploitation and with equality for all. During his career, Du Bois confronted racism, poverty, the subordination of women, environmental degradation, the horror of war, and nuclear weapons. He promoted education as a fundamental right and was a central figure in twentieth-century movements for world peace, civil rights, and self-determination for people of African descent. He understood that the struggle for the equality of Black Americans was part of a larger struggle for freedom and equality for all people.
In October 1961, at the age of 93, Du Bois and his wife traveled to Ghana to take up residence and commence work on the Encyclopedia Africana at the invitation of Ghana’s Founding President, Kwame Nkrumah. Unfortunately, Dr. DuBois health declined while in Ghana, and he died on August 27, 1963, in the capital of Accra at the age of 95.
The Du Bois Centre in Ghana is located at No. 22 First Circular Road, in Cantonments, Accra, Ghana. It is former residence of Dr. Du Bois and Mrs, DuBois, and the place where he died on 27 August 1963. It was opened to the public on 22 June 1985 and was named a national memorial in November of that year.
The Centre houses a small museum with part of Du Bois's personal library and a collection of his works, which are made available to researchers. An adjacent shrine shelters his grave and the ashes of his wife Shirley Graham Du Bois
The Centre charges a small admission fee to visitors, and receives support from the Ghana Tourism Ministry, but it requires additional support at this time for maintenance.
Presently, there is an urgent need for air conditioning in the Centre to ensure the documents and artifacts on display do not deteriorate.
For Dr. DuBois birthday this year, we are seeking to raise a total of $2000 so that the Centre can purchase two air conditioning units.
We see this as an initial gesture in what we hope would be an ongoing effort to support the Centre. This would be a fitting tribute to the legacy and memory of this ardent proponent African people worldwide, especially as we celebrate African American history during this official Year of Return to Ghana for Africans in the Diaspora.
For more information contact Fredara Mareva Hadley
[email redacted]
or
Pamela Davis-Clarke
[email redacted]
In 1885, Du Bois left his home in Massachusetts for Fisk University in Tennessee where he earned an Bachelors degree. After a period of study in Berlin, DuBois was admitted to Harvard University and became the first African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from that institution in 1895.
DuBois’s vision was of a world without human exploitation and with equality for all. During his career, Du Bois confronted racism, poverty, the subordination of women, environmental degradation, the horror of war, and nuclear weapons. He promoted education as a fundamental right and was a central figure in twentieth-century movements for world peace, civil rights, and self-determination for people of African descent. He understood that the struggle for the equality of Black Americans was part of a larger struggle for freedom and equality for all people.
In October 1961, at the age of 93, Du Bois and his wife traveled to Ghana to take up residence and commence work on the Encyclopedia Africana at the invitation of Ghana’s Founding President, Kwame Nkrumah. Unfortunately, Dr. DuBois health declined while in Ghana, and he died on August 27, 1963, in the capital of Accra at the age of 95.
The Du Bois Centre in Ghana is located at No. 22 First Circular Road, in Cantonments, Accra, Ghana. It is former residence of Dr. Du Bois and Mrs, DuBois, and the place where he died on 27 August 1963. It was opened to the public on 22 June 1985 and was named a national memorial in November of that year.
The Centre houses a small museum with part of Du Bois's personal library and a collection of his works, which are made available to researchers. An adjacent shrine shelters his grave and the ashes of his wife Shirley Graham Du Bois
The Centre charges a small admission fee to visitors, and receives support from the Ghana Tourism Ministry, but it requires additional support at this time for maintenance.
Presently, there is an urgent need for air conditioning in the Centre to ensure the documents and artifacts on display do not deteriorate.
For Dr. DuBois birthday this year, we are seeking to raise a total of $2000 so that the Centre can purchase two air conditioning units.
We see this as an initial gesture in what we hope would be an ongoing effort to support the Centre. This would be a fitting tribute to the legacy and memory of this ardent proponent African people worldwide, especially as we celebrate African American history during this official Year of Return to Ghana for Africans in the Diaspora.
For more information contact Fredara Mareva Hadley
[email redacted]
or
Pamela Davis-Clarke
[email redacted]
Give $25 to help get this fundraiser to its goal
Fundraising team: Friends of the DuBois Center (2)
Pamela Clarke
Organizer
Richmond, VA
Kevin Brown
Beneficiary
Fredara Mareva Hadley
Team member
