Centennial Celebration of Dubois' Book
By Blake Gillespie
blake.gillespie@ohio.edu

Staff Writer

Passion and controversy defined the celebration of the Centennial of W.E.B. Dubois' "The Souls of Black Folk" at Lindley Cultural Center last night.

The African American studies department sponsored the event and invited speaker professor Kalvin DaRonne Harvell, and poet Mary E. Weems to help consummate the 100-year anniversary of Dubois' book.

Professor Akil Houston, professor in the department of African American studies, introduced Harvell to the packed lecture hall and told an anecdote of Harvell's debates as an Ohio University student.

Harvell assumed control of the evening by pacing and speaking passionately in a rapid pace, but always pausing to ask the audience, " Are you with me, friends?" Sweating for most of his lecture, Harvell discussed his love for Dubois' book and called Dubois his "favorite sociologist."

Harvell, who referred to himself as " the most illustrious one," spoke with a loud and ardent tone about Dubois' philosophies and major themes in the book. Stating "the most problematic" quality of the book is that Dubois assumes all black people are the same and the book was written for the white majority. Dubois was a Harvard graduate and Harvell attributes his Eurocentric paradigm to controlled thinking from being trained by white professors.

When asked how he would review the book, he said, "Elitism, arrogance and white supremacy at it's best."

He spoke of culturation - when a minority group forsakes their culture in order to take on the culture of the majority. Then, expanded into structural integration - a minority group gains acceptance into a majority group. He said structural integration does not equal equality and gave examples of hypothetical situations of storeowners inviting black people into their store to purchase Nike, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger. "Are you with me?"

Harvell said, "I saw some angry faces, which means I struck a cord and hopefully it leads them to the library to prove me wrong. Then, they can come back and realize I'm speaking the truth."

Houston said, "People got a critical read of the book and hopefully it sparks interest in Dubois."

After Harvell finished, Weems presented three poems. She began with one of her own works, "The Evolution will not be televised," then recited a poem by Ruth Forman entitled, "You so woman." She closed with another original entitled "Freedom."

Audience member Candace Goggans said, "It was a very enthusiastic presentation with an alternative point of view and its important to have different opinions to challenge you to think for yourself."