William Edward Burghardt Du BoisĀ (February 23, 1868 ā August 27, 1963) was an AmericanĀ sociologist,Ā socialist,Ā historian,Ā civil rights activist,Ā Pan-Africanist, author, writer and editor. Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant andĀ integratedĀ community, and after completing graduate work at theĀ University of BerlinĀ andĀ Harvard, where he was the firstĀ African AmericanĀ to earn aĀ doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics atĀ Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the founders of theĀ National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleĀ (NAACP) in 1909.