LEADING HIS PEOPLE
Immediately following Washington’s great speech in Atlanta in 1895,
there came the statement from all parts of the country, “Here is the new
leader of the negro race.” During the last years of slavery, and the
Civil War, and on for years after the war, Frederick Douglass, as has
been said, was the acknowledged leader of the negro in the United
States. Douglass had died in the early part of the year 1895. It seemed
that this man Washington had been raised up to take his place. The
Atlanta speech continued to be a topic of discussion throughout the
country, and coupled with this discussion was invariably the statement
that here was the new leader of the race.
Washington says that he was at a great loss to know what people meant
when they referred to him as the leader of his people. Of course, this
leadership was not a thing that he had sought. The people thrust this
duty upon him, and of course no man has a right to shun or dodge
responsibility that is thus bestowed.
He was not in doubt long as to what it meant to be a leader. One of the
first things that happened was the large number of invitations that came
to him to deliver addresses. These requests came from all parts of the
country and from all sorts of organizations. A very large number of
these invitations he was compelled to refuse. However, when he felt he
could serve his institution and his people, he always accepted. He
represented the Negro at the unveiling of the monument of R. G. Shaw, in
Boston; and at the Peace Convention in Chicago in 1898, at which time
President McKinley spoke. He attended most of the large religious
gatherings of his people throughout the country, and spoke before them.
Almost immediately there began to pour in on him a perfect flood of
letters from all parts of the country, from white and black, high and
low, rich and poor, asking a thousand different questions. Now it would
be a letter from a railroad president asking about some problem of
dealing with his employees; now from a school man asking about the
segregation of the races in schools. Again, from a legislator, asking
advice on some legislation; but principally the letters came from his
own people, asking all sorts of questions about a multitude of things.
One man wanted Washington to use his influence to secure the adoption of
a flag for the negro race; another wanted his backing for a patent
medicine that would take the curl out of the negro’s hair. Another
wanted to know if the negro race was dying out; another, if the race was
being blended with the white race; another, if he thought the negro was
being treated right politically. Perhaps the most remarkable request,
however, was from a woman, who wanted him to find her husband who had
deserted her some years before. And in order that he might be easily
identified she describes him: “This is the hith of him 5–6 light eyes
dark hair unwave shave and a Suprano Voice his age 58 his name
Steve.”[30]
To all of these letters he replied in the fullest and frankest and
kindest way.
Whenever there was race friction in the South, he was invariably called
upon either to go in person or to send a message. For example, when the
Atlanta riots occurred in 1906, Washington was in the North. He took the
first train South. He went among his own people in Atlanta first, and
then he went to the white people—to the Governor, the Mayor, the leading
citizens, ministers and merchants. Largely through his wise counsel and
efforts order was restored, and plans were made for the future.
As a spokesman for his people he wrote constantly for the press. Such
papers as the _Montgomery Advertiser_, the _Atlanta Constitution_, the
_New Orleans Picayune_, the Louisville _Courier Journal_, the Chicago
_Inter-Ocean_, and the Boston and New York papers gladly published his
articles. He also contributed frequent articles to the weekly journals,
such as _The Outlook_, and to the monthly magazines, such as _The
Century Magazine_.
He carried this phase of his leadership even further than the current
press, in that he made some notable contributions to the historical
literature of his race. The first book he wrote was “Up from Slavery.”
This is one of the greatest pieces of literature published in America.
The Hon. Walter H. Page, late Ambassador to Great Britain, said: “The
only books that I have read a second time or ever cared to read in the
whole list (of literature relating to the negro) are ‘Uncle Remus,’ and
‘Up from Slavery,’ for these are the great literature of the
subject.”[31]
Believing the accomplishments of the race should be better known to his
own people, Washington determined to write a history of the Negro. “The
Story of the Negro—the Rise of the Race from Slavery” was the title of
the book he wrote, setting forth the wonderful progress of his people.
Other books by him were, “My Larger Education,” “Learning with the
Hands,”—about eleven titles in all. These books are of high literary
merit, and in no other way, perhaps, did Washington so definitely place
himself as a leader of his people as in the realm of authorship. These
books, in addition to their literary value, were of great benefit to the
white race as well as to his own race, in getting before all the people
a proper estimate of the real accomplishments of the negro.
One of the most important phases of his leadership of the negro was in
the organization of the _National Negro Business League_. It was one of
Washington’s strongest beliefs that the negro must prove himself able to
exist and prosper in business matters. The race—individually and
collectively—must demonstrate its ability to take care of itself in all
phases of industrial life. Another of his important principles was that
the negro should emphasize his opportunities rather than his drawbacks.
As he went about the country, he noted the wonderful progress made by
the negro in all lines of business. He felt that it would be a great
inspiration to those who had achieved success or leadership to know each
other, and a still greater encouragement to all the people if they knew
the real progress being made. Acting upon these ideas, he called a
meeting of representatives of a large number of businesses to be held in
Boston, in August, 1900. Here was organized the _National Negro Business
League_. Washington was made president and continued to hold this office
until his death in 1915.
The organization brought together from year to year all the
representative negro business men of the country. They made reports of
their progress and planned for future advancement. The league has been a
wonderful factor in the development of the business life of the negro.
Several other organizations, such as the Negro Press Association, the
Negro Bar Association, the Negro Funeral Directors’ Association, and
others have grown out of this league. It was through this league, as
perhaps through no other agency, that the negro learned of his own great
wealth, of his success in banking, in manufacturing, in merchandise, in
the undertaking business, and in a large number of other industries. It
gave him a wonderful pride in the accomplishments of his race. He knew
that the negro was proving to the world that he possessed all the
elements necessary for handling any phase of his economic life. He could
take care of himself in the business world.
Washington did a great deal for the negro farmer. It has already been
pointed out how he served the people of his county, and how the
extension work of the Institute was used to help the farmer. In addition
to this he organized the Tuskegee Negro Conference. In the beginning,
this was a sort of agricultural experience meeting on a large scale. The
good farmers from all the surrounding country were brought in, and each
was asked to relate his successful experience. Every phase of farm life
was covered. Every person present was profited by the experience and the
success of his neighbor. This conference has greatly broadened in scope
and has grown to be of large proportions and great influence.
Washington was truly the Moses of his people, as Andrew Carnegie had
said. He led them with great wisdom in their thought and their conduct.
He was their spokesman, their interpreter. He guided them to higher and
better things. He made the white man and the negro know each other
better and understand each other better. He lessened the friction
between the races and increased the good will. He brought encouragement
and inspiration to his own race and gained the sympathy and coöperation
of the white race. Everywhere he opposed ignorance and prejudice and
injustice in any form. Because of his wisdom and tact as a leader, not
only the negro but the entire nation was helped.