Great Barrington Holding Third Annual Du Bois Birthday Celebration

Three years ago, Great Barrington, Massachusetts created the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee in honor of the town native’s 150^th birthday. Organizers say the black writer, activist, and scholar is still having an impact on America today. This weekend, the committee is continuing its exploration of his commitment to progressive education, civil rights, economic justice, and racial equality and equity with its third annual Du Bois birthday event. Gwendolyn VanSant is the vice chair of the Du Bois Legacy committee and founder of BRIDGE – Berkshire Resources for Integration of Diverse Groups through Education. She sat down with WAMC in her office in downtown Lee to talk about the two-day event, which begins Saturday with a discussion on Du Bois’s classic 1903 text “The Souls Of Black Folk.”