W. E. B. Du Bois Society

Co-Directors: Jacqueline Rivers and Dell M. Hamilton

Download a student application here and a 2007-2008 calendar here

The W. E. B. Du Bois Society is an academic and cultural enrichment program, designed to engage secondary students of African descent who attend academically competitive public, parochial, and independent schools. The central theme of this series of seminars is the study of the history of Africa and the African Diaspora. Hosted by the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University and the Ella J. Baker House in Dorchester, MA, the Du Bois Society provides young people with an opportunity to develop study skills and teamwork as they reflect on readings selected by prominent Harvard professors.

Specifically, the purpose of the Du Bois Society is to build a social and intellectual support system for bright African American youths so they will understand that they have:

• Peers who are smart and want to achieve

• Elders (e.g., professors at Harvard) who have succeeded and who also believe in the young people's ability to succeed

Approximately twenty high school students meet six Saturdays per year with a Harvard professor to discuss a reading he or she assigns to the group. The three Saturdays prior to meeting at Harvard, the Du Bois Society convenes at the Baker House with two or three Harvard undergraduates to talk about the text together and prepare a series of questions to ask the professor. Whether at Harvard or at the Baker House, each session lasts about two hours.