W. E. B. Dubois Research Paper

A Pan-Africanist is someone that advocates for the autonomy or the political unification of Africa and all those who have descended from Africa. The philosophy of Pan-Africanism was very prominent throughout the early twentieth century, beginning with W.E.B. Dubois. Dubois, was one of the first advocates for Pan-Africanism, he described it as “…an Africa for the Africans and governed by and for the Africans” (page 28). Walter Rodney and Marcus Garvey soon followed in the footsteps of Dubois and also became key players in the field of Pan-Africanism. Although, each of these men derived from different backgrounds, they each shared a few common views surrounding the concepts of Pan-Africanism and the colonization of Africa by the Europeans.

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Dubois and Walter Rodney, Marcus Garvey was also a Pan-Africanist. However, overall he had much stronger views and opinions about the unification of Africa and its people. Although from Jamaica, Garvey viewed Africa as his home and the home of every person of African descent. In fact he constructed his own movement, which would become one of the most popular movements in African Diasporas’ history, The Marcus Garvey Movement. The Marcus Garvey Movement, also known as the “Back to Africa” Movement petitioned for all people of African descent to move “back” to Africa and unify by creating their own government and their own cultural civilization. Essentially, he wanted to be segregated so that black people were no longer submissive and underdeveloped, but were instead able to thrive as they once had before the Scramble for Africa. Garvey however differed from Dubois in that Dubois was more of an advocate for educational reformation and the theory of Pan-Africanism, whereas Garvey was more so about the action behind the plan; although, he was never able to actually execute his “Back to Africa” movement. Garvey’s main focus was to “…rid Africa of colonial rule and exploitation…” and to unify all people black people, hence going back to Africa (page 79). W.E.B. Dubois did not necessarily speak to certain people, but he definitely did not make his voice heard to every black person so to speak. On the other hand, Garvey’s Movement reached out to each and every individual who descended from Africa. Garvey also differed because he believed in a “Pure” race, and actually partnered with the Klu Klux Klan in order to further execute his plan (page