The Souls of Black Folk Lesson Plan

How does racism affect society, according to DuBois? What does DuBois think can help? Give an example of how this might work today.

In “Of the Black Belt,” DuBois writes about Black communities trying to establish new lives in a new world while being haunted by the old world (slavery and the plantation system). DuBois specifically makes links between people’s economic situations and their social and emotional lives. For instance, because most Black people in the Black Belt were living in poverty, they would have 8-10 people living in 1-2 bedroom houses. This affected people’s ability to build lasting marriages. DuBois proposes education as an antidote to the effects of...