Represent.

Melissa McMahon

Journal on Washington

January 14, 2009

"No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities." 681

This controversial part of Booker T Washington's Atlanta Exposition Address really sums up the message that Washington was trying to get across to his largely white audience. The backlash that followed declared that Washington was not representing his race with as much passion as his booming presence suggested. The question that remains is the hope that Washington's ideas of 'starting where you are' were posed in such a way to not frighten or anger the white people who went to listen to him that day. No matter the actual truth behind his speech, it cannot be denied that Washington was a gifted speaker, leader, and writer- still loved, admired, and respected today.

Washington's passion for education was the driving force behind everything he did. No matter what you thought of his ideas or motives, he was successful at building relationships that ultimately supported his cause.

Although his non-confrontational approach was criticized by some blacks (notably W.E.B. Du Bois who
labeled Washington "the Great Accommodator"), he was successful in building
relationships with major philanthropists such as Anna T. Jeanes, Henry Huddleston Rogers, Julius Rosenwald, and
the Rockefeller family
who contributed millions of dollars for education at Hampton, Tuskegee and
helped pay for hundreds of public schools for black children in the South, as
well as to donate to legal challenges to segregation and disfranchisement.
-Wikipedia

With the powerful allies he rallied, Washington made great strides for education in his lifetime. His idea to "work from the bottom," may be met with mixed opinions, but his life mirrored the hard-working mentality that was a huge part of his upbringing. A former slave, Washington represents his race, (in my opinion) amazingly well. Who can argue with what he made happen? His passion for a better life for all convinced many non believers that slaves were not only people, they had the same desire to work hard and achieve greatness during their life. I believe his speech was spun in such a way that it represented his ideas and hopes for his people without scaring the white man. He knew he was treading on dangerous grounds- he was up against every racial slur, prejudice, pre-conceived notion, and hatred there was. He had to take a solid stance- and I don't believe that was 'selling out' at all.

Like Martin Luther King, Washington's dreams for a better tomorrow have hopefully come true. As we welcome in a new president- a black, educated, capable man- we see in our hopes the desires and dreams all of these men held dear.