Great Barrington — The play “W.E.B. Du Bois: An American Hero” will be performed at Monument Mountain Regional High School on Saturday, February 21, at 5 p.m.
Born in Great Barrington on February 23, 1868, Du Bois was a historian, sociologist, and civil rights activist with global influence. He co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and also served as the editor of the NAACP’s journal, The Crisis.
The play at Monument Mountain will star Du Bois’ great-grandson, Jeffrey DuBois Peck, in the title role.
In the play, written by New York City-based actor and producer Chad Lawson Cooper, Du Bois is having a conversation with his first wife, Nina Gomer Du Bois, and scientist Albert Einstein.
“Initially, we performed this with the families of Du Bois, which I was the representative of, and the families of Harriet Tubman,” Peck told The Berkshire Edge. “The characters of this play eventually changed to my great-grandmother and Einstein, who was a good friend of my great-grandfather. The play goes into three different segments of Du Bois’ life, including the loss of his firstborn and the painful period they went through afterwards and how he became friends with Einstein.”
Peck has also played his great-grandfather in the play “Justice on Trial,” which has been touring the country for the past three years. He admitted that he was nervous when he first took on the role. “I know what this figure means to many people, and I know that people take his work and legacy very seriously,” he said. “I had to approach this in a way that I believe historians would want to see him portrayed. Sometimes I can hear my father and mother saying, ‘Boy, don’t you ever go out and embarrass this family!’ I want them to be happy with what they’re seeing from heaven, and at the same time, I don’t want his legacy to be tarnished in any shape, form, or fashion at my hands or at my discretion.”
Peck said he puts a lot of energy and care into portraying his great-grandfather on stage. “I’m doing everything I can to continue to study, learn, and perfect what I would say is his view of the world and his thought process of being a citizen of the world,” he said. “This includes his humane vision of the world in loving people and treating them in a way that is different from how you treat animals or things.”
Peck explained that the play is part of an effort to shed light on Du Bois’ legacy. “As I travel the country, I find that a lot of people just don’t know who W.E.B. Du Bois is,” he said. “I think you almost have to go into a university to understand who he was, where he came from, what he stood for, and what his accomplishments were. My number-one goal is to bring awareness to my great-grandfather’s legacy.”
Peck said that in drawing attention to his great-grandfather’s legacy, he also brings awareness of Great Barrington. “Everywhere I go, I brag about the town of Great Barrington,” he said. “I think if the country could look at Great Barrington and adapt to what it is doing, that would be great. I know that Great Barrington is not perfect, and that nowhere is perfect, but I do love how everyone is accepted in Great Barrington. Everyone is someone in that town.”
Peck, who lives in Houston, Texas, said, “In the Houston area, some things are frowned on. Some people and their lifestyles are not accepted, and people are biased when it comes to what people look like, or their religion, or their beliefs and lifestyles,” he said. “They all could be considered outcasts. But when I come to Great Barrington, I feel that everyone is someone, that everyone has value. People should love people, regardless of whether they agree with their views or not, and that is what Du Bois stood for.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit to the event’s website.
