W.E.B. Du Bois: The Activist Life (pg. 13)

For long years, we of the world gone wild have looked into the face of death and smiled. Through all our bitter tears we knew how beautiful it was to die for that which our soul called sufficient.

--W.E.B. Du Bois

At the age of ninety-three, Du Bois was invited to Ghana by President Kwame Nkrumah to assume editorship of the Encyclopedia Africana, a monumental project involving scholars from around the world. He assumed Ghanaian citizenship and lived in the land of his fathers until his death at the age of ninety-five on August 27, 1963-- the day before the March on Washington that marked the climax of the civil rights struggle in the United States.

Du Bois receives an honorary degree from the University of Ghana.

President Kwame Nkrumah, Du Bois, and Shirley Graham Du Bois at a reception following Nkrumah's inauguration.

Ghana's President Kwame Nkrumah offers a toast on Du Bois' 95th birthday, c. February, 1963.

President Kwame Nkrumah with Shirley Graham Du Bois at Ghana's state funeral service for Dr. Du Bois, August, 1963.

A nation mourns as Du Bois' passing is marked by a state funeral, August, 1963.
Shirley Graham Du Bois and Kwame Nkrumah at Du Bois' casket.

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