W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was one of the most influential African American scholars, writers, historians, sociologists, and civil rights activists of the twentieth century, and a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Trained in history, philosophy, and sociology, Du Bois helped establish the intellectual foundations of modern Black Studies and played a central role in shaping early twentieth-century Black political thought.

From 1892 to 1894, Du Bois pursued graduate study in Germany, where he was deeply influenced by rigorous historical methods and philosophical inquiry. His later work combined empirical sociology with moral critique, most famously articulated in The Souls of Black Folk (1903). Throughout his career, Du Bois emphasized the importance of education, historical consciousness, and organized political action as tools for racial advancement.

Du Bois was also deeply engaged in national and international Black organizing networks. His correspondence with Alexander Louis Jackson, a civil rights activist and civic leader originally from Englewood, New Jersey, illustrates the close collaboration between Black intellectuals and community-based leaders during the interwar period. Letters between the two men reveal an ongoing exchange of ideas, logistical coordination, and mutual respect. Jackson regularly sought Du Bois’s guidance on political developments in Chicago, Black electoral strategy, and race relations, while also inviting him to speak at youth conferences and civic gatherings sponsored by organizations Jackson helped lead.

In March 1926, Jackson—then chairman of the Brooklyn Boys Work Council—invited Du Bois to address the Brooklyn Older Boys Conference held in Englewood, New Jersey. Although Du Bois was unable to attend due to travel commitments, Jackson reported back on the conference’s success, emphasizing the urgent need for inspirational leadership to address what social reformers called the “boys problem” of delinquency and educational dropout. This exchange highlights Du Bois’s reputation as a moral and intellectual authority whose presence was seen as transformative for young people.

Their correspondence also situates Du Bois within broader Black institutional life beyond the NAACP. Jackson kept Du Bois informed about developments at the Chicago Defender, the National Urban League, Provident Hospital, and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, demonstrating how Du Bois’s ideas circulated through Black newspapers, hospitals, schools, and youth organizations. In turn, Du Bois relied on trusted figures like Jackson for first-hand political intelligence, particularly regarding Black voting behavior and race relations in northern cities.

Du Bois helped found the Niagara Movement in 1905, advocating full civil and political rights at a time when accommodationist strategies dominated Black leadership. In 1910 he became editor of The Crisis, the NAACP’s influential journal, using it to promote civil rights, Pan-Africanism, and cultural expression. During and after World War I, Du Bois became increasingly involved in peace activism and international organizing, later embracing socialist and Marxist ideas as tools to combat racial and economic inequality.

Political tensions eventually led Du Bois to part ways with the NAACP, though he returned in 1944. In the Cold War era, his outspoken support for socialism and the Progressive Party again placed him at odds with mainstream civil rights leadership. In 1961, at the age of ninety-three, Du Bois formally joined the Communist Party USA and soon after relocated to Ghana, where he spent the final years of his life.

Du Bois’s personal life included two marriages: first to Nina Gomer in 1896, and later to Shirley Graham in 1951. Graham, a writer and activist in her own right, shared his commitment to Pan-Africanism and political struggle.

The surviving letters between Du Bois and Alexander Louis Jackson underscore an often-overlooked dimension of Du Bois’s career: his sustained engagement with local Black leaders who translated national ideas into grassroots action. Together, their correspondence reflects the dense networks of cooperation that helped sustain Black political, intellectual, and civic life in the early twentieth century.

In December, 1930, W. E. B. Du Bois traveled from New York to Englewood in December 1930 to address the Englewood Woman’s Club, the occasion connected suburban Bergen County to Harlem’s intellectual and cultural world. His appearance reflected both his national stature and the willingness of local civic institutions to host one of the country’s leading Black scholars at a moment when debates over race, citizenship, and democracy were deeply contested.

Letter to A. L. Jackson expressing condolences, July 17, 1928.
Typed letter, correspondence, A. L. Jackson Papers, Chicago, Illinois.

Letter to A. L. Jackson requesting political analysis of the Chicago mayoral campaign, April 18, 1927.
Typed letter, correspondence, A. L. Jackson Papers, Chicago, Illinois.

Letter to A. L. Jackson enclosing first bulletin of the Pan-African Congress and outlining travel plans, ca. 1921.
Typed letter, correspondence, Pan-African Congress records, New York City.

Arthur L. Jackson to W. E. B. Du Bois regarding the Brooklyn Older Boys Conference held in Englewood, New Jersey, March 1, 1926.
Typed letter, correspondence, Arthur L. Jackson Papers, Brooklyn, New York.

Letter to A. L. Jackson enclosing first bulletin of the Pan-African Congress, May 26, 1921.
Typed letter, correspondence, Pan-African Congress records, New York City.