Great Barrington in Berkshire County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
W.E.B. Du Bois: Champion of Rivers Around the World
Photographed By Larry Gertner, October 2015
1. W.E.B. Du Bois: Champion of Rivers Around the World Marker
Kindled by his love for the Housatonic River, W.E.B. Du Bois became a champion of rivers around the world.
Harlem Renaissance writer and poet Langston Hughes composed “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” when he was only eighteen years old. Du Bois published Hughes’s poem in the July 1921 issue of The Crisis, the journal of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi River Flood was one of the epic natural disasters and racial tragedies of the twentieth century, displacing a million and a half people and leaving several hundred people dead. Discrimination against Black refugees in the camps and in the distribution of relief supplies was rampant. Dr. Du Bois demanded an investigation into the “desperate and evil conditions of that section of our country.” If W.E.B. Du Bois were alive today, imagine his response to the 400,000 left behind in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Disasters.
Location. 42° 11.648′ N, 73° 21.511′ W. Marker is in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Niagara Movement (here, next to this marker); W.E.B. Du Bois: Advocate for Rivers Here at Home (here, next to this marker); W.E.B. Du Bois Birthsite (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); William Stanley Overlook (about 700 feet away); First Congregational Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Laura Ingersoll Secord (approx. 0.2 miles away); Great Barrington Bi-Centennial (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Court House of Berkshire County (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Great Barrington.
Photographed By Larry Gertner, October 2015
2. Insert - "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"
Photographed By Larry Gertner, October 2015
3. Insert - Mississippi River Flood refugee camp
Photographed By Larry Gertner, October 2015
4. Insert - Flood victims
Photographed By Larry Gertner, October 12, 2015
5. The W.E.B. DuBois Overlook
Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 366 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on May 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 30, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5. submitted on April 26, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
