BY ADAM HOLMES, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, W. E. B. DU BOIS CENTER
The tradition of a special lecture named for W. E. B. Du Bois dates back to 1987, only a few short years after the W. E. B. Du Bois Papers were opened to the public. Du Bois’s great friend and literary executor, Herbert Aptheker, was asked to give a talk reflecting on the legacy of the figure whose immense archive was drawing scholars from across the world to the 25th floor of what was then known as the Tower Library.
The late 1990s saw a flurry of talks by illustrious figures who had played essential roles in bringing the Du Bois Papers to UMass: former chancellor Randolph Bromery, William Strickland, Michael Thelwell, and David Graham Du Bois. In 1996, the speaker was David Levering Lewis, the author of the Pulitzer prizewinning two-volume biography of Du Bois, still considered among the greatest works about the great man.
For the 30th Annual W. E. B. Du Bois Lecture, the Center approached Karida L. Brown of Emory University, author of The Sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois: Racialized Modernity and the Global Color Line (2020) and The Battle for the Black Mind (2025). Dr. Brown readily accepted the invitation, citing the importance of the lecture’s traditions and history as well as a certain sentimental connection to the Du Bois Center. She revealed that one of the most formative figures in her young life was the high school teacher who first inspired her love of Black studies and history: none other than Andrea Battle, mother of the Du Bois Center’s director, Whitney Battle-Baptiste!
Photo: L to R: Karida L. Brown; Andrea Battle
The event took place in October at Old Chapel, and began with a cheerful reception where friends and supporters of the Du Bois Center could gather to enjoy drinks, snacks, and an opportunity to catch up. A blend of amusement and concern greeted me when I showed up on crutches, having dislocated my knee in the gym that morning! The formal part of the evening began with welcoming remarks from Dean of University Libraries Curtis Brundy and the Du Bois Center’s director, Whitney Battle-Baptiste.
Photo: L to R: Adam Holmes, Cheryl Townsend Gilkes
Dean Brundy paid tribute to the long tradition of the Du Bois Lectures as well as to the work of the Center, while Dr. Battle-Baptiste spoke to the many exciting plans for future programming and highlighted key partnerships. These include the W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Foundation in Ghana, two of whose scholars were in attendance.
Photo: L to R: Adam Ware, Karida L. Brown; Whitney Battle-Baptiste; Curtis Brundy
The lecture itself was preceded by a performance by the Du Bois Center’s Poet in Residence, Imani Wallace ’27PhD, which set the tone for the evening.
Photo: Imani Wallace ’27PhD
Dr. Brown brought much of the same energy and showmanship to the podium as she dispensed with the topic which she had prepared and instead took the audience on a journey through the life of Shirley Graham Du Bois, W. E. B. Du Bois’s second wife. Shirley—who sold the Du Bois collection to UMass Amherst and briefly taught here in the 1970s—lived a vivid and eventful life, contributing much to both the scholarly and literary canon. Dr. Brown’s talk reminded us that she should be remembered as much, much more than just W. E. B. Du Bois’s widow.
Photo: Karida L. Brown
The evening ended with another reception during which Dr. Brown signed copies of her book, and the audience excitedly discussed the lecture they had just witnessed. “Shirley is having her moment!” declared Dr. Battle-Baptiste. With a new book, Shirley Graham Du Bois: Artist, Activist, and Author in the African Diaspora, just published, co-edited by Annette K. Joseph-Gabriel and Du Bois Center Senior Research Fellow Phillip Luke Sinitiere, she may just be right.
Photo: Reception
