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Davis, Ethel McGhee (1899-1990)
Ethel Davis McGhee was an American social worker and educator. She was the first African American social worker in Englewood, New Jersey when she became the Director of Social Work at the Social Service Federation for Englewood's African American community in 1925. She worked for the Social Service Federation's Memorial House, which was eventually named the Englewood Community House.
In the 1930s, Davis worked at Spelman College, where she acted as Dean of Women and taught sociology. She was the school's first African American administrator.
Davis was heavily involved in numerous organizations such as the Young Woman's Christian Association (YWCA), the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Urban League, the League of Women Voters, and the National Council of Negro Women.
She traveled back to Englewood in 1954 and remained active in the community. She was involved in numerous organizations in Englewood including the Social Service Federation, the Urban League, the Leonard Johnson Nursery School, the Community Chest, the First Baptist Church of Englewood, and the Adult Advisory Committee.
She married John Warren Davis, President of West Virginia State College on September 2, 1932. She had two daughters, Caroline Florence Davis Gleiter and Dorothy Davis McDaniel. -
DuBois, William Edward Burghardt (1868-1963)
W.E.B. DuBois was a famous African American scholar, writer, historian, sociologist, and Civil Rights Activist. He was one of the founding members of the NAACP.
He was the son of Mary Silvina Burghardt and Alfred DuBois. From 1892 to 1894 he traveled through Germany and became influenced by the historical work of Albert Bushnell Hart and the Philosophical work of William James.
He focused heavily on history and sociology, publishing numerous articles. He also attempted to establish journals discussing politics and ideology for a black audience. DuBois believed that African Americans should embrace their African heritage while also contributing to American society. DuBois also believed in Pan-Africanism.
DuBois along with other African American leaders founded the Niagara Movement in 1904 which militantly advocated for full civil and political rights for blacks. The movement only succeeded in 1909, when the NAACP was founded after rioting in August of 1908 in Springfield, Illinois caused a biracial conference over concerns of violence against blacks. DuBois also finally achieved his desire for a journal as he became the editor of The Crisis.
World War I caused a shift in DuBois' beliefs. He became involved in peace work. He also supported the use of Marxism to fight against racial discrimination through economic programs and institutions, which caused him to become at odds with the NAACP president. He resigned from the organization but returned in 1944. He again became at odds with the organization as he supported socialist organizations and the Progressive Party during the rise of anti-communism.
He met Nina Gomer, a student at Wilberforce University where he taught for two years, and married her in 1896.
In 1950, he married Shirley Graham after his first wife passed away. She had a child from a previous relationship, David, who took on the DuBois name. Throughout the rest of his life, he was a member of peace movements and was continually interacting with leftist and communist party organizations. In October 1961, he officially joined the American Communist Party. His support of communism put him at odds with the American government and legal system and was restricted from travel for several years. When it was lifted in 1958 and after traveling throughout communist countries in Eastern Europe and Asia he lived the rest of his life in Ghana.Tags Socialism