Everyone should read this.

W.E.B. DuBois is considered perhaps the greatest voice and pen of his generation. As an African-American, DuBois’ contribution to the growth in culture and respect among his race at a time when racism and rampant discrimination were utilized by white Americans to hold down the advance of black Americans. “The Color Line” is a collection of four selections from the author’s celebrated book, “The Souls of Black Folk”. In “Color Line”, DuBois discusses the impact of Reconstruction, the absence of employment opportunities for the former slaves, the absence of fairness in black lives, especially among those who migrated to the North, and, finally, the role of the church in black society. I enjoyed learning about black life in America asI read these four selections. My sole complaint is that I sensed DuBois was trying to impress white readers with his vocabulary and his ability to express himself as a superior intellect. If the intent of this book was to reach out to blacks and motivate his peers to rise above the limits placed on them by white residents of the North and South, it is my observation that he rested his arguments entirely too much on the stereotypes held by white Americans.