W.E.B. Du Bois was a prominent African American civil rights activist, sociologist, and writer who played a key role in the early 20th-century struggle for civil rights and racial equality in the United States. He was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and served as the editor of its magazine, The Crisis.

Du Bois was known for his scholarship and activism that challenged racial segregation and discrimination, and advocated for full political, civil, and social rights for African Americans. He was also a leading voice in the Pan-African movement, which sought to unite people of African descent worldwide in the fight against colonialism and racism.

Du Bois's most famous work is "The Souls of Black Folk," a collection of essays that explores the experience of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction era. He was also a staunch critic of Booker T. Washington's accommodationist approach to race relations, advocating instead for political and social equality through protest and agitation.

Du Bois's legacy as a scholar, activist, and intellectual continues to be celebrated in Black history, as his work laid the foundation for the civil rights movement and inspired generations of African Americans to fight for justice and equality.