Certainly Great Barrington can simultaneously recognize his flaws and faults while also finding ways to remember publicly, in a permanent way, his profound contributions to the struggle to push the United States to live up to its founding ideals, particularly regarding the plight of African-Americans.
The current voices against a statue of Du Bois again reduce Du Bois's 95-years of life and writing to his two years as a member of the communist party. It is high time to put this charge in perspective.
Last month, the board of trustees of the town's libraries endorsed the idea of putting a statue of the scholar, civil rights leader and Great Barrington native in front of the Mason Library on Main Street in the center of town. The project can only move forward if sufficient funds are raised and the Historic District Commission and the selectboard approve.
Not only are supporters of the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois trying to name one of the local public schools after him, but they want to commission a sculptor to come up with a life-sized likeness of him that would be placed on the front lawn of the Mason Library.
Trump became the second man to call Roy Cohn his mentor. The first was Joseph McCarthy. Cohn was disbarred for unethical conduct in 1986. He died of AIDS in 1987.
