Gazette editorial "In Our Opinion: Keeping history alive"

In Our Opinion: Keeping history alive
by Daily Hampshire Gazette

The University of Massachusetts for years has been involved in efforts to honor the great African American scholar and early civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois. UMass boasts a considerable collection of Du Bois' writings and correspondence, and also has a library bearing his name.

More recently, though, the university has been working with a local historical group to renovate Du Bois' homesite in the southern Berkshires town of Great Barrington, as illustrated in a story in the Weekend Gazette. It's an effort that's notable not just for bringing further recognition to Du Bois; it's also casting a broader light on the history and heritage of African Americans in New England.

Du Bois devoted his life to the pursuit of racial equality. He died at age 95 in 1963 - on the eve of landmark civil rights legislation and just one day before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

His 1903 book, "The Souls of Black Folk," was a groundbreaking look at the lives of African Americans in the United States.

The plot of land containing Du Bois' homesite was donated to the state in 1988 and placed under the custodianship of UMass; the university has coordinated its renovation efforts with the local Friends of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite. In July, a ceremony was held to take note of the improvements that have resulted from the partnership.

The homesite is also part of a regional effort to take note of the history of African Americans. It is one of 48 sites in the Upper Housatonic African American Heritage Trail that stretches from Dalton through Great Barrington to Warren, Conn.

The sites not only highlight the underground railroad that played a role in freeing slaves, but also historical and cultural contributions by African Americans, including: the Pittsfield home of Rev. Samuel Harrison, who was chaplain in the black 54th Massachusetts Regiment featured in the 1989 movie, "Glory"; the Sheffield home of Col. John Ashley, who was successfully sued by one of his slaves, which paved the way for the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts; and the Lenox boyhood home of James VanDerZee, one of the first great African American photographers who is best known for his images of the Harlem Renaissance.

Living history has a certain emotional power to it. UMass has made an important contribution toward keeping alive the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois in a manner that sustains the relevance of this great human struggle for equality.