Revisiting DuBois and Washington

• In Event: Key Thinkers in Education

Abstract

This essay examines the historical, social and cultural experiences of blacks in higher education, their sense of collective struggle, and the purpose of higher education for blacks as viewed by blacks themselves. Inherent in the purpose of higher education for blacks is a sense of individual achievement for collective gain and the recognition of the need to overcome societal barriers. A few central themes of blacks' experiences in higher education are: social justice (Bond, 1972, Thomas, 1981), identity development (Gurin and Epps, 1975), collective struggle (Anderson, 1988; Cooper, 1988), community building, racial uplift (Gaines, 1996), improvement of social, political and economic conditions (Williams, 1997), and education as a liberatory experience (hooks, 1994; Fleming, 1984; Spring, 1997).

Author

• Mark S Giles, University of Texas San Antonio