Du Bois and Being White in Philly

       I want to use this post not only to critique W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk, but to also connect it to an article titled “Being White in Philly,” written by  Robert Huber. The Souls of Black Folk was published in 1903, and “Being White in Philly” was not released until March, 2013. Over a century later, why are we still facing the same problems, rooted in racism? Will we ever learn, and is there an end in sight? Du Bois places a huge emphasis on education in his writing. After slavery had been abolished, the biggest issue was that African Americans did not know what to do with themselves. There were little opportunities for success because it was extremely difficult to make money without an education, and it was even harder to own land. Du Bois emphasizes the need for educators, like himself, because that is the first step to educating the youth. He bases many of his stories in the Black Belt, in Georgia, and area that is populated by the majority of black people, but the whites still have the power over them as their landlords and etc.

       Is this how we are in Philadelphia? In his article, Huber interviews people from mostly the Fairmount area, all of them are white. They tell him they rarely venture above Girard Avenue; the unofficial but seemingly official boundary of North Philly, a “color line,” Du Bois would call this “The Veil.” Being a white, female student at Temple, I completely understand color lines. I am only a freshman but it did not take long to learn that there are streets that you should not go beyond after dark. Some students will never cross these streets, even in the daytime. I am from a Temple family, my dad is a graduate and my older sister is a current junior, so I am familiar with campus and the city – but you never really understand until you live here. Believe me when I say I have no regrets about coming to Temple, but it is definitely not for everyone.  Color lines have been here since the slaves were emancipated, and if they are still this prominent in 2013 it is going to be a long time before they go away, if ever. Huber looks at education in his article, focusing on a mother who was the first in her neighborhood to send her white child to a predominately black elementary school. The school was comparable in test scores to the preferred school in her area by parents, which was near Rittenhouse Square, and was also much closer. Basically, the parents did not want to be the only ones to send their children to a black school, so they felt safer with strength in numbers. This is not the way it should be. School should be chosen for academic standing, not the race of the students. Du Bois preached for education for African Americans, and if he was still around today, he would unfortunately still be preaching. Things need to change.