Maya Angelou, Elizabeth Alexander, and Arnold Rampersad W.E.B. Du Bois and the American Soul
A prolific writer on sociology, history, economics, and politics, W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most extraordinary minds of American and global history. His life traced an incredible arc; he was born three years after the end of the Civil War and died on the eve of the March on Washington. In 1903, he penned the famous line that \u201cthe problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line.\u201d Du Bois was a formative voice for many of the people who gave us the Civil Rights Movement and for all of us navigating the still-unfolding, unfinished business of civil rights now. We bring his life and ideas into relief through three conversations with people who were inspired by him.\nMaya Angelou was a poet, educator, and activist. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. She is most well-known for her series of seven autobiographies, including \u201cI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.\u201d\nElizabeth Alexander is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Her books include \u201cCrave Radiance\u201d and her memoir, \u201cThe Light of the World.\u201d\nArnold Rampersad is emeritus professor of English at Stanford University and author of \u201cThe Art and Imagination of W.E.B. Du Bois.\u201d He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2010.\nFind the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.