The Souls of Black Folk Lesson Plan

DuBois ends the Forethought with these words: “And, finally, need I add that I who speak here am bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of them that live within the Veil?” What does he mean here, and why is this statement important?

DuBois chooses to end the Forethought by informing the reader that he is a Black person. This is important for a number of reasons. First, DuBois likely knew many people would pick up his text and assume it was written by a white person as there were few Black people publishing in the early 20th century. Second, DuBois is asserting his positionality, the position from which he is writing. This gives the reader a clue about DuBois’ insight and...