Booker T. Washington

In 1872, Booker T. Washington traveled 500 miles on foot to the Hampton Institute in Virginia. That journey, in turn, laid the foundation — not only for his own education — but his life’s mission to empower and compel black people to invest in industrial education.

Washington’s bright mind and forward thinking led him to become the principal and leader at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881. He would go on to gain national notoriety as a lecturer and influencer. While the content of his speeches promoted black growth at its heart, it would be a speech in 1895, the “Atlanta Compromise,” that rattled many black followers.

In this episode of Black History in Two Minutes or So hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. — with additional commentary from Farah Griffin of Columbia University, Shawn Alexander from the University of Kansas, Chad Williams of Brandeis University, Kimberlé Crenshaw of UCLA and Columbia law schools, and Hasan Jeffries of Ohio State University — we honor the legacy of Washington. The celebrated orator and author’s contributions are still felt in society today, and he’s a visionary who recognized that investing in ourselves would lead to successes unseen.

Archival Materials Courtesy of:

Alamy Images
Getty Images
Library of Congress
The New York Public Library

Executive Producers:

Robert F. Smith
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Dyllan McGee
Deon Taylor

Music By:

Oovra Music

Be Woke presents is brought to you by Robert F. Smith and Deon Taylor.

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[frankiemendez]

Booker T was playing 4d chess and is unappreciated until today.

[veronicahaney]

Booker T. Washington’s philosophy summed up: “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:11-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬ ‬‬

[alllove]

Other than the over opinionated woman @1:55 this was a fair assessment of Booker T Washington. He was far more complex, courageous, pragmatic and intelligent than these so call educated academics can ever understand.

[Hyperspeed]

❤ this great black leader who
Founded a black college.
Dr.tyrone Williams of Chester PA

[justinratcliffe]

Booker understood accident forgiveness and made sure everyone was in good hands

[lifehappens]

He basically was saying...
Build, learn, and create...
ie... we can live together but independently.

[CoachRP]

It is unfortunate to see a reductive picture of this great man portrayed here by Ms Crenshaw. We continue to feel the vacuum and absence of diversity in agriculture and industry to this day. This is not a Washington vs DuBois argument as most elite academics feel compelled to extol. Washington’s approach would have built the balance sheet of black industry. BT Washington should be celebrated and we should revisit his actual game plan for advancement.

[philippisae]

Please READ his book yourself as it's a totally different experience then listening to someone's biased take on him.

[DisciplesOnCampus]

Thx for this video it was really helpful with my school work. I also liked this video. Keep up the good work and keep making videos like these!

[countryboi]

This is great and really informative in 3 mins

[breakingnewsonsocialmediat]

They don’t teach us anything about this man in they teaches us about Christopher Columbus

[phillycardshark]

To refer to it as the "Atlanta Compromise" is disingenuous and counterproductive.
This video comes at Booker T. Washington's legacy from a very weak and apologetic mindset...which is far left in nature and sabotages the viewers experience.

[charleshalley]

I'm doing as I'm a property Washington's I hope this works in your life animation

[moshefabrikant]

2:30
תתחבר לאנשים אך תעבוד מאחורי הקלעים בשביל לקבל את מטרותייך