W.E.B. DuBois, an African American, was one of America's foremost intellectuals. He was the first African American to obtain a PhD from Harvard University. He was the only African American on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was founded in 1909. The NAACP was a progressive era organization devoted to fostering interracial understanding regarding racial issues in America. It was also devoted to advocacy and agitation for progressive laws to positively impact the conditions of African Americans and other racial minorities in the United States. DuBois was the Director of Publishing and Publicity. He published The Crisis magazine, which was the organization's official publication.
