W. E. B. Du Bois was an American civil rights activist, historian, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, scholar, educator, journalist, writer, editor, poet, and leader. He grew up in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, which was a well connected community. I really admire Du Bois because he used his skillful writing to advocate for black people and capture what it was like to be an African American in the 20th century of America.