W.E.B. Du Bois was a prominent African American sociologist, historian, writer, and civil rights activist who played a key role in shaping the course of Black history in the United States. Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

He was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University and became a leading scholar in the field of sociology. Du Bois was a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and served as the editor of its magazine, The Crisis, where he used his platform to bring attention to issues of racial inequality and advocate for civil rights.

Du Bois was a prolific writer, and his most famous work is "The Souls of Black Folk," a groundbreaking collection of essays that addressed the African American experience in the United States and explored themes of race, identity, and discrimination. He also conducted extensive research on the social and economic conditions of African Americans, including the concept of the "talented tenth," which argued for the cultivation of a leadership class within the Black community.

Throughout his life, Du Bois was a staunch advocate for racial equality, civil rights, and Pan-Africanism. He was a fierce critic of segregation and discrimination, and he is remembered as one of the most influential Black intellectuals and activists of the 20th century. W.E.B. Du Bois passed away on August 27, 1963, in Accra, Ghana, where he had moved in his later years. His legacy continues to inspire generations of activists and scholars in the ongoing struggle for racial justice.