William Edward Burkhardt DuBois, who we all know as WEB DuBois; he was a novelist, public speaker, poet, editor, author, leader, teacher, scholar, and romantic. He graduated from high school at age 16 and was selected valedictorian, as he was the only black in his graduating class of 12. He was orphaned shortly after graduation and was forced to finance his own college education. He was a pioneer of black political thought and known by many as a major figure in the history of African-American politics. WEB DuBois attended Fisk University, where he was awarded a scholarship after graduating from high school. Fisk University was located in Nashville, Tennessee. While attending this University, it was here that he saw for the first time in his life the harsh times of Southern blacks. Since W.E.B. DuBois has not encountered any difficulties or problems with racism, seeing this was what motivated him to want to make changes and educate black people about what is going on. As violence against blacks increased in the South during the 1880s, DuBois's academic education was accompanied by the harsh lessons he learned about race relations. DuBois acquired racial awareness and the desire to help improve the conditions of all blacks as soon as he began to experience racial hatred firsthand and he also saw much of it during his summer experience in poor African American communities in Tennessee. DuBois graduated from Fisk in 1888 and also won a scholarship to attend Harvard University. Harvard considered his higher education and Fisk degree inadequate preparation for a master's program, and he had to register as an undergraduate. In 1890 DuBois received his second bachelor's degree......middle of paper......en. Throughout his life, W. E. B. DuBois contributed to and pioneered many changes in the black community, such as social truths about African Americans and educating blacks about politicizing themselves. Works Cited Anderson, Elijah., ed. The Study of African American Problems: W. E. B. Du Bois's Agenda, Then and Now. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2000.Buhle, Mari Jo; Buhle, Paul, and Harvey J. Kaye. The American radical. New York: Routledge, 1994. Buckley, Kerry WWEB Du Bois: An Exhibition of Material from the Collected Papers of WEB Du Bois. Amherst, MA: The Archives, 1980.DuBois, W.E.B. The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study. New York, New York. Cosimo Inc., 2008. Padmore, George and WEB Du Bois. Colonial and colorful unity; an action program. History of the Pan-African Congress. London: Hammersmith Bookshop, 1963.