Just on the heels of slavery, two Black intellectuals rose to national fame. With opposing ideas about Black progress, they ushered in an ideological rivalry that has raged on for generations. Long before MLK vs Malcolm X or LeBron vs Jordan, there was Booker T. Washington versus W.E.B. Du Bois.

The debate that they started (about the best route for achieving racial equity) is the exact same feud we're still living in today. They have been so influential that our current culture war perfectly takes the shape of Washington versus Du Bois. We're adopting their ideas, and we don't even know it.

Your listen next list:
The War Within Antiracism: Why the Movement is Divided on Apple & Spotify
The All-Important Debate: Individual Vs. Group Identity on Apple & Spotify
Ep 101, Is Race Real or Not? It's Complicated on Apple & Spotify

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Sources: History, W.E.B. Du Bois; History, Booker T. Washington; History, W.E.B. Du Bois vs. Booker T. Washington; Clint Smith for CrashCourse; PBS Archives, The Debate Between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington; Atlantic Online, Ralph McGill Interview With W.E.B. Du Bois