Project proposal for Fall 2023 Introduction to Public History Seminar.
Question:
The key question that this project aims to address is, “What does Fannie Barrier Williams suggest as an alternative path toward social equality through the use of industrial education?”
Abstract:
Compromise and New Ideas: A New Path Toward Racial Equality Between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois
The essence of this project is to identify the path that Fannie Barrier Williams created as a means of achieving social equality through industrial education. It will examine the components of her proposed path and its influences from racial leaders, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois as well as the influences from the social climate of Chicago. The significance of this project is found in its intended audiences, social/racial activists, and educators. The examination of the influence of Washington and Du Bois’s ideas on Williams and her own thoughts surrounding industrial and higher education is meant to send the message of compromise to activists and introduce other voices to educators about the journey to racial equality.
Arguments and Sub-Themes:
The overall topic covered by this project is industrial education and what Fannie Barrier Williams adds to the conversation regarding its usefulness. It also covers the primary ideas of industrial education of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois as well as considering how she potentially formed the idea that she proposes. The overarching argument for this project is that Fannie Barrier Williams created a different path for social equality by pulling from Washington and Du Bois’s thoughts and weaving them together with her own, thus creating a middle ground between the arguably extreme ideas of both men.
The sub-themes of this project concern gender issues and Fannie Barrier Williams’s upbringing. Gender is an important piece of Fannie Barrier Williams’s activism, writings, and influences. Williams was influenced by the settlement movement and women such as Jane Addams, who she admired greatly. Williams’s pursuit of racial equality did not apply only to black men, but black women as well. She was concerned with expanding the roles of black women in society using industrial education to prepare them for occupations that typically were not reserved for them.[1] Fannie Barrier Williams thought that black women had a larger place in the world than the occupations assigned to them regarding the maintaining of the house and the social sphere. The other necessary sub-theme of this project is an examination of Fannie Barrier Williams’s upbringing and how it has influenced her thoughts and ideas. Her well-rounded education had a profound influence on her thoughts about the value of industrial and higher education. Her exposure to segregation and Jim Crow after going South further affected the focus of her activism, and her pursuit of racial equality. In Brockport, she had very little, if any, exposure to segregation, and Jim Crow. Becoming a target of racism, the likes of which she had never experienced, set her on the path of activism.
Another sub-theme that should be considered is how Fannie Barrier Williams relates to other women of her time. One of these women, Mary Church Terrell, is of particular interest because of her association with the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), a group that Williams was also apart of. An idea of the NACW was “lifting as we climb,” which seems to mean that black people are and should be lifting each other up through togetherness and local support. The group that Mary Church Terrell helped found, The Colored Woman’s League, started this upliftment with projects such as opening kindergartens, night schools, and sewing schools, and preceded the NACW, but these actions continued into the work of the NACW.[2] The question to consider is whether Fannie Barrier Williams embraced this idea as Church Terrell had in her ideas around industrial education. It can be said that Williams embraces this concept based on other actions and ideas throughout her life, but it is evidenced in her essay regarding industrial education based on her discussion of male and female occupations. She says that the implementation of education for black men and women alike will result in work being overseen by “trained intellects,” and therefore the concept of caste will be eliminated.[3] By eliminating caste, an even playing field is laid for all and provides opportunities for community empowerment.
A question that should be considered is, how does Fannie Barrier Williams complicate the strict division between Booker T. Washington’s insistence on industrial education and W.E.B. Du Bois’s push for elite leadership and political equality? Washington was a huge believer in the value of industrial education, in which Du Bois agrees with him, but Du Bois’s biggest criticism is Washington’s lack of mention of the value of higher education. Du Bois on the other hand, believed that political equality should be the first focus to reach racial equality, but his theory of The Talented Tenth needs to be considered. Du Bois claims that a select group of blacks must be educated and these elites would lead the entire black population to racial equality.[4] Williams complicates this division in that she agrees with Washington’s view on the value of industrial education and with Du Bois’ emphasis on higher education but disagrees with aspects of both men’s ideas. In terms of Booker T. Washington, she does not agree with his arguably submissive way of achieving racial equality. Williams even seems to imply in her essay that blacks should challenge whites occupationally and academically. She says, “the time is coming, aye, is now here, when a colored graduate from a school of domestic science will be more honored and better paid than are many white women who now hold the positions colored women cannot enter.”[5]This statement shows that Williams gives her support to a direct approach to achieving racial equality, rather than just waiting around, and hoping it comes. Fannie Barrier Williams does not completely agree with W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of the Talented Tenth. While Du Bois thinks that a select group of blacks will lead the entire race to equality, Williams believes that the achievement of equality will come through the efforts of all. However, she does believe that the entire community will be encouraged and given the opportunity to pursue equality through what she calls, “trained intellects.”[6] She says, “it will prove an immeasurable blunder if we shall lack the foresight to provide for our young men and women the kind of training that will enable them to do everything…that will equip them to become the real builders of future greatness of the South.”[7] This statement can be read to mean that she believes that it is through the involvement and efforts of all, with training from qualified people, that it will be possible to achieve racial equality. This is contrary to Du Bois who suggests that it will be a select group of elite blacks that lead the entire black race to equality. Fannie Barrier Williams’s agreements and disagreements with ideas from both Washington and Du Bois confound the strict division between the two men by showing that it does not have to be all or nothing. She shows that it is not necessary for people to be wholeheartedly devoted to one side or the other and this is the starting point for the development of her new path to equality.
The materials that this project will use are Timeline.js, Wix, and primary and secondary sources. The goal of this project is to create a website that details Fannie Barrier Williams ideas surrounding the value of industrial education, how she combines the ideas of racial leaders, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois as well as what she contributes to the conversation. It is also meant to highlight the new path that Williams creates toward racial equality using industrial education. The website will be created on the website creator, Wix, which is free to use, however, it will cost money to launch the site for the public to view. The website will include pages such as “Biographies,” which will provide a general overview of Williams, Washington, and Du Bois, and “Washington and Du Bois: The Ideas of Two Prominent Racial Leaders,” which will detail the thoughts of both men surrounding industrial education. Timeline.js will be used to create timeline overviews of some of the most important biographical events in the life of Fannie Barrier Williams as well as important contextual events that occurred throughout her life. Some of the primary and secondary sources that will be used include, “Industrial Education – Will It Solve The Negro Problem,” by Fannie Barrier Williams, “The Atlanta Compromise Speech,” given by Booker T. Washington, “The Souls of Black Folks,” by W.E.B Du Bois, “Jane Addams: An American Heroine,” by Jill Conway, and “The Origin of the First ‘Jim Crow’ Law,” by Stanley J. Folmsbee, “W.E.B Du Bois’ Talented Tenth: A Strategy for Racial Advancement,” by Dan S. Green, and “Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell” by Alison M. Parker. More sources will be listed under the “Primary and Secondary Sources,” heading in proper Chicago format.
The intended audiences for this project are social and racial activists and educators. The importance of this project for social and racial activists is to show that there is not one right way to achieve the goals of their activism. The inclusion of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois’s thoughts surrounding industrial education is to highlight the two extremes on the spectrum of the best way to reach racial equality. This is done to punctuate the new path that Fannie Barrier Williams creates through her mixing of the two men’s ideas with her own personal thoughts, ideas, and opinions. This matters as it shows that there is always a middle ground and a third option in fights for social justice. Often it is thought that one must pick a side, and one of this project’s goals is to prove that idea false. For educators, this project matters because it sheds light on a specific argument, in this case industrial education, and connects it to the larger picture of the pursuit of racial equality. It also presents Fannie Barrier Williams as a black female contributor to the conversation, showing that not only men were concerned with issues relating to racial justice. This project will relate to the public because it concerns the issue of racial equality, the relevance of industrial/vocational education, and the role of higher education, which are all still prominent topics today.
Environmental Scan and Literature Review:
“Jane Addams: An American Heroine,” by Jill Conway will be used as a contextual secondary source to connect the ideas of Fannie Barrier Williams to the settlement movement and state of women at the time. Williams was heavily influenced by the ideas of the settlement movement and the work of Jane Addams. Conway says that women within this movement believed in a sense of mission and that women were made for a larger position in society, a sentiment that Williams shares.[8] This article will be relevant in the discussion of the sub-theme of gender and how it connects to Williams’s beliefs surrounding the place of black women in society. Although the work of the settlement movement often did not include black women, or black people in general, Williams took the overall ideas of the movement and applied them to black women’s rights to industrial education.
“The Origin of the First ‘Jim Crow’ Law,” by Stanley J. Folmsbee will allow for the contextualization of Jim Crow laws in the South. These Jim Crow legislations came to affect Fannie Barrier Williams after she moved from Brockport, New York, down south to teach. Prior to moving south, Williams had experienced very little, if any, segregation in Brockport and was likely not exposed to Jim Crow. This article will be used to explain what Jim Crow legislation was, when it arguably started, and what effect it had on black populations. These laws affected segregation in train cars, regulating black people to their own cars away from whites. Segregation of train cars is something that Williams was exposed to when she was confronted by a white passenger trying to relocate her to the train car for blacks.[9]
The articles, “Booker T. Washington in Biographical Perspective,” by Louis R. Harlan and “Booker T. Washington: Understanding the Wizard of Tuskegee,” by Robert J. Norrell,” will be used for biographical information on Booker T. Washington. Washington is an important figure in the life of Fannie Barrier Williams as he had close ties to her and her husband, S. Laing Williams. He is also the basis for some of the ideas that Williams incorporates into her new path for racial equality. It is important to understand who Washington was, and the path he advocated for black people. The review, “The Scholar-Activist and the Challenge of Social Change: W.E.B. Du Bois and Race in America,” by Quintard Taylor, provides a biographical look at racial leader, W.E.B. Du Bois. Although it is a review of David Levering Lewis’s work, “W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of Race,” it is useful as an overview of Du Bois’s life and will connect his view of the relevance of industrial and higher education to the events that led to his extreme ideas about the best way to reach racial equality.
“Exploring a Century of Historical Scholarship on Booker T. Washington,” by Pero Gaglo Dagbovie, will be another source used for biographical information on Booker T. Washington. Dagbovie’s article compares different biographies that have been written about Washington from 1915 to 1950. There have been different interpretations of Washington’s life and work, some of which have been extremely critical and some giving him credit where it is due. It is important to examine the differing ideas and interpretations of Booker T. Washington’s life, thoughts, actions, and ideas as this will help to create a realistic idea of what his end goals were and what kind of man he was.
“W.E.B. Du Bois’ Talented Tenth: A Strategy for Racial Advancement,” by Dan S. Green, will be useful in understanding W.E.B. Du Bois and his theory of the Talented Tenth. Du Bois’ theory ties into Fannie Barrier Williams’s ideas regarding how the black race will reach racial equality as she seems to take pieces of it into account for her suggestions. Since the concept relates to Williams’s development of ideas, it is important that one understand what exactly the theory of the Talented Tenth is and how Du Bois influenced Williams. It will also provide understanding as to why Fannie Barrier Williams agrees with some aspects of the concept and not others. The article makes for a great comparison piece between W.E.B. Du Bois’ base idea of the Talented Tenth, and the idea of elite leadership that Williams suggests within industrial education.
Alison M. Parker’s book, Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell, is useful for our subsection exploring how Fannie Barrier Williams related to other women of her time. Williams and Mary Church Terrell ran in similar social circles and were both involved in various groups such as the National Association for Colored Women. By researching the life and actions of Mary Church Terrell, comparisons can be drawn between Williams’s ideas and work and the work and ideas of other women of the time. Examining Williams’s essay, Parker’s book on Church Terrell, and Conway’s article on Jane Addams, we can paint a picture of what female activists were doing at the time and how Fannie Barrier Williams fits into it.
Mary Jo Deegan’s introduction to her book, The New Woman of Color: The Collected Writings of Fannie Barrier Williams, 1893-1918, is useful for biographical information on Fannie Barrier Williams. Not only will this provide information for a biography of Williams on the website, but it also allows for examination of her ideas as it relates to her upbringing in Brockport, New York, which is one of the sub-themes of this project. This information also gives some context on the social life and racial ideals of Chicago during Williams’s lifetime and how it affected her work.
Workplan and Budget:
The workplan for this project spans from January 2024 to May 2024. It will begin with research into potential sources that will provide necessary information for the project. This includes biographical sources on Fannie Barrier Williams, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois, and contextual sources that provide information on the climate in which Williams developed her ideas. The collection of sources will span from the beginning of January to early February. Next will be to study and organize the sources into what is useful for each website page. Sources concerning biographical information may be sorted into a biography pile, while sources on contextual information may be sorted into another pile. It is to be noted that contextual sources should be separated based on what context it is providing and biographical sources should be separated by person. For example, sources on the settlement movement should be sorted into a different pile from sources regarding Jim Crow and sources on Fannie Barrier Williams should be separated from sources on W.E.B. Du Bois. This study and organization will take up the bulk of the project time ranging from early February to the end of March. At the end of March, recordings should be made of Booker T. Washington’s, “Atlanta Compromise” speech and the relevant sections of W.E.B. Du Bois’s book, The Souls of Black Folks. This should take from late March to mid-April at the latest. It will be important to make multiple recordings to choose the best one. The assembly of the website and timelines will come last and will range from mid-April to the end of May 2024. It should include biography and idea comparison pages, among others, the recordings, and the overview timelines. The budget for this project will include the cost on Wix for the business package, which costs $32 a month. It will need to be determined how long the exhibit website should be live to receive an exact cost. The cost of hiring consultants for the project will also need to be considered as well as the cost of voice recording equipment. The average price range for voice recorders is $40 to $100 and the average cost of historical consultants is $80-$135 an hour. If the site were to be live for a year and a $100 voice recorder is used, the cost would be $484. If we were to spend six hours researching sources with the consultant from January 1st to February 4th (35 days) at a cost of $135 an hour, the total price would be $28,350. This would put the total budget at $28,834, but rounding up it would be about $29,000.
Consultants and Issues:
An important historical consultant for this project could be Dr. Spencer Crew, a Robinson professor of U.S. history at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Crew has extensive experience in the field of public history and the study of Afro-Americans. His most important exhibit, “Field to Factory: Afro-American Migration, 1915-1940,” at the National Museum of American History, shows his experience with race questions and public history exhibits. Dr. Crew would further this project with his extensive experience with public history exhibitions and his knowledge of U.S. history as it pertains to race. An issue to consider would be the lack of technological accessibility to the public. To address this issue, we could consider taking the website and developing an in-person exhibit that people can visit. It can be separated into parts, just as the website is, that people can move through at their leisure. The budget in this proposal may need further sharpening if we were to create a full in-person exhibit as the cost of building materials, workers, etc, will need to be considered.
Citations
Primary
Du Bois, W.E.B. “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others.” In The Souls of Black Folks: Essays and Sketches,41-59. Chicago: The Pennsylvania State University Libraries, 1909.
Washington, Booker T. “The Atlanta Compromise.” Speech, Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, GA, September 18, 1895.
Williams, Fannie Barrier. “Industrial Education – Will It Solve the Negro Problem.” In The New Woman of Color, edited by Mary Jo Deegan, 78-83. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2002.
Secondary
Conway, Jill. “Jane Addams: An American Heroine.” Daedalus 93, no. 2 (Spring 1964): 761-780.
Dagbovie, Pero Gaglo. “Exploring a Century of Historical Scholarship on Booker T. Washington.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 2 (Spring 2007): 239-264.
Deegan, Mary Jo. “Fannie Barrier Williams and Her Life as a New Woman of Color in Chicago, 1893-1918.” In The New Woman of Color, edited by Mary Jo Deegan, xiii-lx. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2002.
Folmsbee, Stanley J. “The Origin of the First ‘Jim Crow’ Law.” The Journal of Southern History 15, no.2 (May 1949): 235-247.
Green, Dan S. “W.E.B. Du Bois’ Talented Tenth: A Strategy for Racial Advancement.” The Journal of Negro Education 46, no.3 (Summer 1977): 358-366.
Harlan, Louis R. “Booker T. Washington in Biographical Perspective.” The American Historical Review 75, no. 6 (October 1970): 1581-1599.
Norrell, Robert J. “Booker T. Washington: Understanding the Wizard of Tuskegee.” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, no. 42 (Winter 2003-2004): 96-109.
Parker, Alison M. Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2020.
Taylor, Quintard. Review of W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868-1919, by David Levering Lewis, Reviews in American History 22, no. 4 (December 1994): 662-667.
Digital Assets:
[1] Fannie Barrier Williams, “Industrial Education – Will It Solve The Negro Problem,” in The New Woman of Color: The Collected Writings of Fannie Barrier Williams 1893-1918, ed. Mary Jo Deegan (DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2002), 79.
[2] Alison M. Parker, Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2020), 58.
[3] Williams 79.
[4] Dan S. Green, “W.E.B. Du Bois’ Talented Tenth: A Strategy for Racial Advancement,” The Journal of Negro Education 46, no. 3 (Summer 1977): 359.
[5] Williams 82.
[6] Williams 79.
[7] Williams 81.
[8] Jill Conway, “Jane Addams: An American Heroine,” Daedalus 93, no. 2 (Spring 1964): 761.
[9] Deegan xvi.
