Bringing Du Bois home: a tribute in bronze

“I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love.” —W.E.B. Du Bois

On Saturday, July 19, a life-sized bronze sculpture of W.E.B. Du Bois will be unveiled at 2 p.m. in front of the Mason Public Library on Main Street in Du Bois’ hometown of Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

All are welcome to attend this free public event, the highlight of a weekend-long celebration. Speakers include former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Pulitzer-prize winning biographer of Du Bois David Levering Lewis, ,\and Imari K. Paris Jeffries from Embrace Boston whose mission is, “To dismantle structural racism through our work at the intersection of arts, culture, community, research and policy.”

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, arguably the father of the civil rights movement in America, was one of the founders of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, in 1909. The first Black American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University, he was a ground-breaking sociologist, and author of sixteen books, including his 1903 series of essays, “The Souls of Black Folk.” He graduated from Searles High School in Great Barrington in 1884. The community of the local Congregational Church, next to the Mason Public Library, supported the boy’s early education.

The arc of his life was extraordinary, from young Willie Du Bois working at the Great Barrington A&P, matriculating at Fisk University and Harvard, receiving the Lenin Peace Prize, having a national holiday celebrated on his birthday in China, to his death in his adopted country of Ghana, the day of the 1963 March on Washington. News of his death elicited a moment of silence from the 260,000 gathered near the Lincoln Memorial.

DuBois attended The Amenia Conference of 1916 and 1933, early meetings of the NAACP at Troutbeck. DuBois wrote: “The Amenia Conference was a symbol. Because of our meeting, the Negro race was more united and more ready to meet the problems of the world than it could have been without these beautiful days of understanding. How appropriate so tremendous a thing should take place in so much quiet and beauty there at Troutbeck, a place of poets and fishermen, of dreamers and farmers. Those who write the history of how the American Negro became a man must not forget this landmark event.”

Artist Richard Blake, recipient of the National Sculpture Society’s Medal of Honor, created the bronze sculpture that will sit centrally on a curving Sheffield marble bench in the redesigned library plaza. Blake reflected, “My public sculptures commemorate social activism and those who have fought for social justice. I want to shed light on overlooked American heroes.”

“This moment represents years of dedication from many people,” said Ari Zorn, co-chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project. “We are bringing Dr. Du Bois home in a way that invites everyone to sit with him, reflect with him, and carry forward his legacy. This sculpture isn’t just a monument — it’s a space for justice, remembrance, and stewardship.”

July weekend events include two programs hosted by Chesterwood, the historic home of sculptor Daniel Chester French, plus the fourth annual Du Bois Forum Roundtable at Jacob’s Pillow. The Unveiling Ceremony includes music featuring Wanda Houston, Gina Coleman, and the Randall Martin Band, with a performance of the Black National anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Martin Luther King, Jr., an admirer of Du Bois, honored him in a speech at Carnegie Hall, “Du Bois the man needs to be remembered today when despair is all too prevalent. His love and faith in Negroes permeate every sentence of his writings and every act of his life.”

More information is available online at webduboissculpture.org