W.E.B Du Bois was a prominent and prolific Black American sociologist who wrote about life in post-Reconstruction America. His work chronicles the horrors African Americans faced throughout the United States as they attempted to navigate life as second-class citizens after the Civil War. 

Du Bois’s search and advocacy for racial justice and truth included designing fascinating hand-drawn infographics, which have been digitized for public viewing and dissemination by the Library of Congress. Du Bois designed these graphics for the 1900 Paris Exposition, where he presented an exhibit on the “present conditions” of the American Negro.

According to the Library of Congress, the exhibition included 500 photographs and 200 books written by African Americans—as well as Du Bois’ infographics which displayed statistics on the African American population in the US.

Here are selected graphics from the collection:

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Photo Credits: The Library of Congress, Biography.com

Author

  • Jordie Davies is writing for her life (and yours) in Chicago, Illinois. She hails from Eastman, Georgia and enjoys thinking about movement politics, public policy, and justice. Davies is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Chicago. Her research and writings have appeared at The Century Foundation, the NOW-NYC blog, The Emory Wheel, and Emory University's Black Star Magazine.