1 Booker T.

Washington The laws of changeless justice bind Oppressor with oppressed; And close as sin and suffering joined We march to fate abreast. Booker T. Washington1 He displayed a nearly unique capacity for exciting in his people pride of race without employing the means of invidious disparagement of other races.2 The discussion about Booker T. Washington approach towards racial inequality is frequently viewed as controversial. The heart of the matter is that, for some aggravated people, Booker T. Washington stands out as a rather peaceful school book black hero 3, who lacked visually obvious kind of heroism and boldness. Indeed, his methods might have been relatively too compromising, and thus, they are unfairly referred to as unheroic. The problem with such hasty and absolutely groundless, as well as irrational conclusion is that the actual concept of heroism is quite abstract. Booker T. Washington was primarily an educator and interracial interpreter, and there is nothing inappropriate, disgraceful or unheroic about exploiting the power of education while attempting to receive recognition and respect from people, who do not necessarily apply exacting methods while dealing with African-American people.

Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery: an Autobiographical, (Radford, VA: Wilder Publications, 2009), 41. Louis R. Harlan and Susan R. Valenza, The Booker T. Washington Papers (Chicago: University of Illinois

Press, 1984), 461.

3

North By South Great Migration Page, Booker Taliaferro Washington on Education, Kenyon College,

http://northbysouth.kenyon.edu/1998/edu/home/btw.htm (accessed April 8, 2012).

2 Washingtons method of uplifting was education in a harmonious trinity of the head, the hand, and the heart.4 Let us then explore Washingtons vision of liberation respectfully. People tend to place a greater emphasis on a particular aspect of one persons life due to the fact that they themselves successfully accomplished a lot by paying attention to this specific area. In other words, though it is true that some peoples recommendations about dos and donts are based on nothing but logical thinking and their overall disposition to living life, it is also true that a great deal of their assumptions, suggestions, and advice comes from personal experience: in other words, Booker T. Washington attributed his achievements and enlightenments to the power of education, to the opportunities that it grants to somebody, who possesses knowledge. That is why he wanted to evoke in African-American a desire to meet the requirements that white people believed were unattainable for black people. Indeed, Booker T. Washington strived for a fair game, for a righteous way of proving white inhabitants of the United States that African-American fit in their isolated society perfectly, because they do have a lot to offer. It must be kept in mind that Booker T. Washingtons opponents and critics act as a group of ecstatic and hysterical girls: Booker was born in the family, where both races lived in harmony and love; what a stupid idea to accuse a person of not feeling enough hatred towards white people or, moreover, of daring to respect them, while simultaneously trying to fight for the rights of black people. Instead of being grateful to the universe and God for somebody like Booker T. Washington, who has been destined to be born and grow up in the family, which should be viewed as a microlevel model of what the world must be like, some people decided to focus on the vanity of vanities.

Sanderson Beck, Booker T. Washington and Character Education at Tuskegee Institute 1881 -1915 on

Spiritual Awareness Now Web-Site, posted 1996, http://www.san.beck.org/BTW.html (accessed April 8, 2012).

3 Washington was a student at Hampton Institute and became convinced that vocational education was the only means by which Blacks would become successful in America.5 According to Robert A. Gibson, Washington adhered to the philosophy of accommodating to white oppression, as he propagandized the acceptance of white supremacy through accumulation of trust to the paternalism of white people.6 However, to my mind, true Washingtons intentions and ideas were wrongly interpreted: the matter of the fact was that Booker T. Washington understood that there is an inevitable interdependency between white and black people, however, in order to make white people see and, most importantly, experience this dependency, realize their incompleteness without black people, Booker promoted patience, rather than revolution or anything resembling a riot, claiming that white people can be convinced in the necessity to perceive black people as equal, when the latter will educate themselves properly, proving that they are suitable for any kind of work besides physical: In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress. 7 To do something good is always to wait longer. A loud protest against white supremacy is an option, without a doubt; however, it is based on negative motivators, such anger and hatred. Booker T. Washingtons strategy is very clever: indeed, he approached the civil rights issue, as well as the issue of racial inequality, as an independent observer, i.e. as someone, who in the end would not be affected by any possible outcome. His method is deprived of
5

Keith V. Johnson and Elwood Watson, The W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington Debate: Effects upon

African-American Roles in Engineering and Engineering Technology, The Journal of Technology Studies, http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/v30/v30n4/pdf/johnson.pdf (accessed April 8, 2012).
6

Robert A. Gibson, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois: The Problem of Negro Leadership , posted in volume of 1978 on the web-site of Yale-New Haven Teacher Institute,

the

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/2/78.02.02.x.html (accessed April 8, 2012).

7

Washington, 2009, 41.

4 emotional involvement, which is, in this particular case scenario, the evidence of a genuine care: emotions may lead the way; they may trigger a movement in the right direction, however, in a long-term perspective, they provide absolutely no guarantee of a successful ending, as along the way, a pragmatic approach to the situation, an ability to soberly evaluate ones chance to succeed, and overall presence of mind are inescapable. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Booker T. Washington was thinking ahead, preferring to stay aside from any kind of emotional intoxication. Booker T. Washington was a rather devoted individual, thus, probably, to him his approach to social and racial equality was not about the inexplicably great amount of time one has to contribute in order to finally see the light at the end of tunnel, it was about the beauty of being committed to something greater than time, to a life-alter goal. The secret of Mr. Washingtons power is organization, and organization after all is only a concentration of force. This concentration only expresses his own personality, in which every trait and quality tend toward one definite end. They say of this man that he is a man of one idea, but that one is a great one and he has merely concentrated all his powers upon it; in other words he has organized himself and gone forth to gather in whatever about him was essential.8 Booker T. Washington is kindly referred to as a stubborn person, who despite numerous obstacles in his life, managed to stay faithful to his initial ideals and goals. There are a lot of critics and opponents of Washingtons program of setting black people free. A stepping stone of the program is rooted in the necessity to accept ones inferior status. Indeed, after such a statement the agitated state of mind is quite understandable. However, I am inclined to believe that it is of great significance to be able to see beyond the

Paul Laurence Dunbar, Representative American Negroes in The Negro Problem (The Pennsylvania State

University, 2007), 84, http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/webdubois/TheNegroProblem6x9.pdf (accessed April 8, 2012).

5 obvious and visible program promoted by Washington, and his actual intentions and longterm plans. From my standpoint, Booker was striving to lull the vigilance of the South, getting them right where he wanted in the calm and peaceful state of mind. Eventually, he was supported by white communities, he was respected by white people, and most importantly, he was listened to, thus, he was welcomed to do and launch nearly anything. His goal was to create a harmonious, friendly co-operation between whites and blacks, and it goes without saying that one cannot accomplish that through physical force, hatred and promotion of black supremacy: To the end, Washington emphasized what he had always emphasized: that the moral and the material were mutually significant and would re-enforce each other. []. At Tuskegee, he had primarily been interested in teaching certain obtainable skills and in reaching certain material goal.9 The conundrum that last until today may be based on the fact that Booker T. Washington has never aimed at simply setting black people free, grant them equal civil rights and so on. Washingtons goal revolved around making a world a better place of residence to both races. To those Negroes unaware of the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the white man, I would assert that the Negro has many good friends among Southern whites as he has anywhere in the world. As we manifest a love for whites, we can teach the world how two races can live in harmony.10 Washingtons approach to racial inequality issues is complex, however, one cannot and should not but agree that no one who has studied the history of oppressed races can question the correctness of Booker T.

Donald Cunnigen, Rutledge M. Dennis and Myrtle Gonza Glascoe, The Racial Politics of Booker T.

Washington, (Oxford: Elsevier, 2006), 207.

10

Booker T. Washington, Chapter 2 Booker T. Washington in The Credos of Eight Black Leaders:

Converting Obstacles Into Opportunities, ed. by John J. Ansbro, (Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2005), 26.

6 Washingtons tactics or the soundness of his philosophy.11 To my mind, it is fair to state that if you do not understand Booker T. Washingtons program, you are in desperate need of a proper education.

11

Louis R. Harlan and Susan R. Valenza, 1984, 463.

7 Bibliography Beck, Sanderson. Booker T. Washington and Character Education at Tuskegee Institute 1881-1915 on Spiritual Awareness Now Web-Site, posted 1996,

http://www.san.beck.org/BTW.html (accessed April 8, 2012). Cunnigen, Donald, Dennis Rutledge M. and Myrtle Gonza Glascoe. The Racial Politics of Booker T. Washington. Oxford: Elsevier, 2006. Dunbar, Paul Laurence. Representative American Negroes in The Negro Problem. The Pennsylvania State University, 2007.

http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/webdubois/TheNegroProblem6x9.pdf (accessed April 8, 2012). Gibson, Robert A. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois: The Problem of Negro Leadership, posted in the volume of 1978 on the web-site of Yale-New Haven Teacher Institute, http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/2/78.02.02.x.html (accessed April 8, 2012). Harlan, Louis R. and Susan R. Valenza. The Booker T. Washington Papers. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984. Johnson, Keith V. and Elwood Watson, The W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington Debate: Effects upon African-American Roles in Engineering and Engineering Technology in The Journal of Technology Studies,

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/v30/v30n4/pdf/johnson.pdf (accessed April 8, 2012). North By South Great Migration Page. Booker Taliaferro Washington on Education, Kenyon College, http://northbysouth.kenyon.edu/1998/edu/home/btw.htm (accessed April 8, 2012).

8 Washington, Booker T. Chapter 2 Booker T. Washington in The Credos of Eight Black Leaders: Converting Obstacles Into Opportunities, ed. by John J. Ansbro. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2005. Washington, Booker T. Up from Slavery: an Autobiographical. Radford, VA: Wilder Publications, 2009.