Massachusetts hometown of W.E.B. Du Bois comes to terms with famous son

By Russell Contreras|The Washington Post| November 8, 2010

Great Barrington, Massachusetts — He’s the most famous son of this quiet mountain hamlet in western Massachusetts. But until recently, people looking for signs of W.E.B. Du Bois’s life and legacy in Great Barrington would have had a hard time finding them.

For decades since Du Bois’s death in Ghana in 1963, the civil rights activist and scholar has drawn praise for his writings but scorn from residents upset that he joined the Communist Party, became a citizen of Ghana and often criticized the United States over race relations.

FBI agents and riot police guarded a park dedication to him more than 40 years ago. Efforts to name a school after him were blocked. Some residents saw him as the father figure of black radicalism, and they remained conflicted over his legacy and his relationship with the largely white town he often romanticized in writings.

But now, as Great Barrington prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, supporters say Du Bois is finally getting his due…

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