One of the founding members of the NAACP and the first Black American to earn a PhD from Harvard, W. E. B. Du Bois had a tremendous impact on US society and is renowned for being one of the most important civil rights activists in US history. Were you aware that he founded The Crisis? Did you know about his affair with Jessie? Does knowing about his relationship with Jessie change your opinion of him?
I was not aware that WEB DuBois had founded The Crisis. Nor was I aware of the affair with Jessie. I felt sorry for his wife because she became so used to his cheating. Although Jessie was doing wrong by having the affair, she still got her heart broken. In a way she wanted to be WEBs only one that is why she was so hurt when she found out he had more lovers out there.
I had no idea he founded The Crisis or about his affair with Jessie and how significant that relationship was to both of them. I was disappointed how W. E. B. Du Bois handled these matters, especially with his own family and it did sour me a bit on my opinion of him. However, learning about both in the book was eye opening and very compelling.
I knew of W.E.B. Du Bois, but knew very little about his life or career. My opinion on what he accomplished for Black people and many others doesnât change. His personal life, as long as, he wasnât preaching to others, seems irrelevant. Many people who we know have made great impacts were not the greatest spouses or partners or parents.
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I knew some about W.E.B. Du Bois but not about the affair. That didnât impact me so much as the fact that he really was kind of an ass when it came to women. There were numerous times I thought his reaction to Jessieâs success was terrible. I was disappointed in this aspect of his character.
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I did not know about The Crisis or the Brownieâs Book. I knew of Fauset and I knew she had a relationship with Du Bois.
What I found difficult were the times he took her for granted and over looked giving her credit in public. I agree with you kim.kovacs that it makes him a disappointment.
I knew nothing about W.E.B.s life. He accomplished a lot, but it is too bad he didnât have any morals. Typical charming man who wants everything and thinks he is entitled. Total narcissist.
I am sorry to say I did not know about The Crisis. I am very glad that I read this book. I learned a lot and am recommending that my friends read the book. I am sorry that there was so much mention about the affair. But I guess it needed to be told.
I knew a very little about W.E.B. Dubois before reading this book. I had never heard of Jesse Redmon Fauset. I appreciated learning about the affair as many important historical figures have been flawed. I donât feel like knowing of W.E.B. Duboisâ flaws subtracts from the impact he made on civil rights.
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Oh, absolutely, @Michelle_S! The man was a force for good. But no oneâs perfect, and I still think that he was an ass where the women in his life were concerned.
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I had for forgotten that he started the Crisis magazine. I did not know about the affairs, nor had I ever heard of Jessie Redmon Fauset. However, I have always had a bit of a sour taste for him because he was responsible for creating division among Black people. He embraced the philosophy of the Talented Tenth, the portion of the race who is more educated than the rest. Unfortunately âmenâ were not perceived âvaluableâ to the Black race if they hadnât attended certain colleges or attained certain degrees, resulting in decades long tension in the Black community between the haves and have-nots. He and Booker T Washington butted heads over this concept a lot.
I agree with practically all of the comments thus far and laughed at a few of them. As far as still highly regarded men even after we learn about their affairs: Letâs throw in JFK and MLK,Jr in the mix!
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I agree, he was bright, hardworking and achieved so much, but he was not a good man! I knew about him and the Crisis, but I was not aware of his relationship with Jessie Fauset. I felt bad for his wife, his child and Jessie and even all the people trying to make a difference for Black rights and had to be silent about his affair or risk damaging the goals. Ugh,
I had heard of W.E.B Du Bois, only because his book of poetry was recommended by Oprahâs book club. Did not know he was one of the founding memers of the NAACP or his affair. The affair didnât change my opinion of him but the way he treated women did. He just used Jesse to elevate his own success and didnât encourage her or elevate her work, just his own.
Im sad to admit that other than knowing his name, although not how to pronounce it I knew nothing about the man. So everything I read about him in this book was knew. Iâm so glad to know about him but dismayed about all the alleged affairs
Sadly, it doesnât surprise me.
I had not heard about his publication The Crisis, or his relationship with Jessie. It doesnât surprise me that during this time period, but really, also nowâŚ.men in power feel like they can excuse any of their narcissist behavior no matter who gets hurt in the process.
I was not familiar with The Crisis. His alleged affair with Jessie does not change my view of his importance as a historic figure. Many people who were important in history and who fought for positive changes also had very human flaws. I believe it is possible to appreciate and respect the goods things a person has done while not liking other things in their life. I do not believe humans are perfect. We must take a balanced view and acknowledge the flaws even when we recognize the accomplishments. We also need to remember that this is a work of fiction. Based on what I have read, it is suspected that W.E.B DuBois and Jessie Redmon Fauset had an affair, I have not seen (or read) any definitive proof. Perhaps they did, but we do not know. The relationship portrayed in this book is the authorâs fictional portrayal of a suspected relationship, not a factual account.
I was not aware that he founded The Crisis or of his affairs. It doesnât surprise me that a powerful man had affairs. This does not diminish the respect I have for what he did for civil rights. It does diminish my respect for him as a man.
I heard of him but I was not familiar with him at all. So reading this book,I learned A lot. Knowing he was married,with a daughter did sour me on him a bit. Not jyst because he was cheating on his family, but he seemed to have an arrogant attitude. I feel he was threatened by smart,strong women such as his wife and Jessie.
Part of why I was a hugh fan of this book was how I felt I was immersed in the story while having the opportunity to learn so much as I obviously knew so little about the actual lives of these famous historical figures. I was aware of Web DuBois role as a founding member of the NAACP but had no awareness of his interactions/ relationships with his wife and multiple other key women he was drawn to and had relationships with nor did I have any knowledge of The Crisis. What I do know is that his behavior in being attracted to intelligent females and his ability to love multiple women at once is not the first time this has happened in our history and continues today with many people in high profile, stressful positions. That part of the story is not a new story line but was beautifully told in a manner that helped the reader understand how it could happen. What people tolerate in their marriage is a private matter and it appeared that he and his wife had an understanding and it appeared tolerated as well as discretion was applied.His wife seemed to understand her husband and had a gut awareness that he would always stay in his marriage regardless of all the other side relationships he was in. What was interesting was that understanding of her husband also is what gave her insight that Jessie was very important to him. What was heart breaking was the tried and true outcome for Jessie when she realized she was not the only âotherâ person he was involved with outside his marriage. I felt a sense of pride in her ability to take that hurt and move on with dignity in leading the inspired life she in her own right was born to live while keeping the past cherished moments as memories with a closed door from that point of awareness on. Egos run high where smart men and women interact and this part of the story seemed like an ageless telling of a familiar tale - but was woven so beautifully into the story that it was easy to see how it all happened.