William Edward Burghardt "
W. E. B."
Du Bois (pronounced ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American
sociologist,
historian,
civil rights activist,
Pan-Africanist, author, and editor. Born in
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community. After completing graduate work at the
University of Berlin and
Harvard, where he was the first
African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at
Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.