In our industrial teaching we keep three things in mind; first, that the student shall be so educated that he shall be enabled to meet the conditions as they exist now. . . second that every student who graduates from school shall have enough skill coupled with intelligence and moral character, to enable him to make a living for himself and others; third, to send every graduate out feeling and knowing that labour is dignified and beautiful- to make one love labour instead of trying to escape it.
Booker T. Washington, "Up from Slavery" Booker T. Washington's command was cast down your buckets where you are and to pull yourself up by the bootstraps; corner the market on what you are already an expert in: be businessmen. In his time, for black folks, that meant agriculture, domestic services, carpentry and such. He believed that it was not wise for a group of people to go beyond their knowledge but rather build where they are and expand from there. On Contrary, W.E.B. Dubois believed that the only way for African Americans to rise out of its suffering state was to invest in its Talented Tenth: to formally educate a select few who would pull the rest of the race upwards. He believed in, "developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races." (The Talented Tenth) To say that Dubois may have actually despised Washington's take on Industrial Schools and domestic labor, could possibly be an understatement. He explicitly stated in The Souls of Black Folk, that Washington was willingly asking black people to give up political power rights, civil rights, and the right to be scholastically educated in the ways of philosophy and social sciences. But Washington believed in cumulative wealth and self reliance, and believed that, "no race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem" (The Atlanta Compromise). But, both believed that to not invest in your own, one way of the other, would inevitably lead to grave dismay and the demise of the nation as a whole. Dubois states, "you must help furnish this race from within its own ranks with thoughtful men and trained leadership, or you must suffer the evil consequences of a headless misguided rabble," (Tenth) while Washington states, "There is no defense or security for any of us excepting in the highest intelligence and development of all" (The Atlanta' Compromise).
So, who is right?
Well, from a poet who loves the smell and feel of freshly turned earth after a rain, I say, both. Today, our cities are dissipating, and our communities are dying. They have become the victims of abuse from those that govern them and of abandonment from those who once populated them. We do not have the privilege or really even an option to pick one side over the other. It is our task to understand how and when to systematically meander through both worlds. The urgent situation of our crumbling communities is a multi-dimensional problem that is calling for cerebral strategic planning and a tremendous commitment of the community to be its own solution. No more are the days of this/that, either/or, white/black, or right/wrong. We are living in the times of both/and. Our communities, our organizations, our universities, our households need all of the above and as Dubois and Washington would say, we are all at risk if we do not take heed to the need of a society.
So what's my point?
I cringe when I hear someone say the Corporate way is better, or that practitioners do more for a community than academics or that being a leader comes with age. Being corporate does not mean everything is all good and being grassroots does not have to be equated with disorganization. Research and academia are needed as much as the boots on the ground. Collecting the wisdom of the elders is just as crucial as embracing innovation and technology of the newer generation. Nurturing the human spirit is as important as developing the brain. Supporting the farmer is as critical as supporting the local business. Intelligence without ones culture is death and hard work without the plan is insanity. The concept of superiority has no place for progressiveness. The ideals of white collar vs. blue collar are now archaic. We all matter. We all play a role, an important one at that. Leadership and advancement come in all styles from all ages in all kinds of ways. If we truly want to rebuild communities and move our country forward, it takes all of us as a whole, respecting our individual strengths and merging them together for the collective good. We must understand when to put on the suit and when to roll up the sleeves. Work hard. Study hard. Do good. Be a part of a solution. And as we fight over politics, leadership styles, personalities, methodologies, and philosophies, let us remember that, "Human education is not simply a matter of schools; it is much more a matter of family and group life- the training of one's home, of one's daily companions, of one's social class. . . intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is, and of the relation of men to it- this is curriculum of that Higher Education which must underlie true life." (The Talented Tenth).
Works Cited
Booker T. Washington, "Up from Slavery," in The African-American Archive: The History of the Black Experience through Documents, ed. Kai Wright at al. (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc., 2001), 431-434.
Booker T. Washington, "The Atlanta Compromise," in The African-American Archive: The History of the Black Experience through Documents, ed. Kai Wright at al. (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc., 2001), 423-426.
W.E. Dubois, "The Souls of Black Folk," in The African-American Archive: The History of the Black Experience through Documents, ed. Kai Wright at al. (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc., 2001), 438-443.
W.E. Dubois, "The Talented Tenth," in The African-American Archive: The History of the Black Experience through Documents, ed. Kai Wright at al. (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc., 2001), 443-446.
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