Great Barrington — February 23, 2021 was a historic day in the life of our community. On this day, the town of Great Barrington signed into law an unprecedented tribute to its native son W.E.B. Du Bois. That measure was even more remarkable knowing that for decades Great Barrington had struggled to embrace Dr. Du Bois; there were times when our community tripped up, times that separated us, infuriated us, and compromised our better angels. In fact, Dr. Du Bois was largely whitewashed from our local history and classrooms, a victim of the systemic racism that he had spent his life combatting.
Yet, on this day, three years ago, the Great Barrington Selectboard showed that the town’s historical cycle could be broken. In Maya Angelou’s words, our past “cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, it need not be lived again.” Refusing to turn back time, board members issued a declaration of independence from bureaucratic provincialism, proclaiming by proclamation:
Whereas, the Town of Great Barrington recognizes that W.E.B. Du Bois was born, raised, and educated in Great Barrington; and
Whereas, the Town of Great Barrington honors W.E.B. Du Bois via road signs proclaiming the “Birthplace of W.E.B. Du Bois” and the naming of the W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School; and
Whereas, the Town of Great Barrington’s stated mission is ‘to preserve and promote Great Barrington native W.E.B. Du Bois’s legacy as a scholar and activist for freedom, civil rights, progressive education, economic justice, and racial equality’; and
Whereas, the Town of Great Barrington recognizes February 23 as the birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois, the premier architect of the Civil Rights Movement;
Now Therefore, Be it Resolved by the Selectboard that the Town of Great Barrington shall also recognize W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Day, or Du Bois Day, every February 23.
Be it Further Resolved, the Town of Great Barrington shall provide a Town-sponsored program that celebrates W.E.B. Du Bois’s life and legacy.
Be it Further Resolved, the Town of Great Barrington encourages businesses, organizations, and public entities to recognize Du Bois Day as a day of reflection and celebration.
What a blessing, indeed, that our community has committed to memorialize Du Bois through annual Du Bois Day celebrations—commemorations of the spirit ensuring the preservation and promotion of his legacy of singular scholarship and activism for generations to come.
