W. E. B. Du Bois's "Talented Tenth": A Pioneering Conception of Transformational Leadership

by Ella F. Sloan, Jan Carpenter Tucker (Designed by)

Overview

In 1903, W. E. B. Du Bois presented a radical leadership proposal…the “Talented Tenth” emphasized the education and training in leadership of ten percent of the African American population…[that] would transform the larger, uneducated segment of the population and lead them to higher levels of social acceptance and independence. 

This study…describes the historical factors that led to and influenced Du Bois’s development of [this] strategy, especially his reaction to and criticism of Booker T. Washington’s proposals to accommodate the white power structure through diminished educational and social expectations for African Americans.…

[M]any ideas associated with James Burns’s notion of “transformational leadership” were anticipated by Du Bois’s earlier work…. Evidence…substantiates not only Du Bois’s powerful legacy to African American and general American history, but also shows that the...ideas of the “Talented Tenth” were indeed a pioneering conception of Transformational Leadership. 

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781929909100
Publisher:	Night Star Publisher dba JL Carpenter Design
Publication date:	05/31/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	202
File size:	629 KB

About the Author

Dr. Ella Sloan is a native Texan. A life long learner with multiple leadership skills and talents, Dr. Sloan believes that life experience is the best teacher. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of San Diego, and both her Master's and Bachelor's degrees from San Diego State University. She has managed to blend her vocational and academic talents into an inspired and inspirational professional career. Her leadership has benefited her community, church, and especially young scholars, whose lives she has had the opportunity to influence, and whom she has watched grow into bright academicians, teachers, businessmen and businesswomen with promising careers across this country. Dr. Sloan is a recipient of numerous leadership awards, and has served many organizations in a myriad of capacities. Such organizations as the NAACP, National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (holding both regional and national offices), and AARP (being a local and state volunteer of the San Diego local chapter) are the back drop and landscape of her continued dedication to being a voice and presence in and beyond her community. As a former business owner in San Diego, California for over 18 years, she has always carried a passion and thirst for knowledge, and has vied to make that knowledge available as a catalyst for change. She believes in living life fully, and being thankful for all blessings.

Table of Contents

Preface xi Acknowledgements xiii Chapter 1 W. E. B. Du Bois's Challenge to America Introduction 1 Significance of the Study 3 Statement of the Issue 7 W. E. B. Du Bois Emerges as a Leader 10 Methods 13 Primary Sources 14 Secondary Sources 15 Theoretical Framework 15 Chapter 2 The Historical Development of the "Talented Tenth" Introduction 23 Alexander Crummell 28 Philosophical Debate with Booker T. Washington 34 The Negro Academy 54 Prelude to the Niagara Movement 61 The Niagara Movement 64 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 71 Summary 88 Chapter 3 The Leadership of W. E. B. Du Bois Introduction 95 Questions 98 What historical factors led to and influenced Du Bois's development of the Talented Tenth strategy, and what ethical and moral values are implicit within? 98 What light does the Talented Tenth shed on the issue of how transformational leaders are created? 103 How valid are Du Bois's ideas for solving current problems facing the African American community, and how valid is the claim that the Talented Tenth is an integrationist theory? 109 What is the significance of Du Bois's proposal of the Talented Tenth for reconceptualizing the idea of Transformational Leadership, and what can we learn from this theory? 121 Chapter 4 Conclusion 125 Recommendations 134 References 139 Appendix A A Chronology and Life of W. E. B. Du Bois 153 Timeline 155 Appendix B The Policy and By-laws of the Negro Academy 163 Index 169 About the Author 183 Production Notes 185 Quotations (by first line) 186

Editorial Reviews

"Anyone who is serious about bettering themselves and their community should read this book. Dr. Sloan's careful reporting and analysis provides a clear guideline for us to follow the lead of Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois."
Dr. Shirley Wilson
Area Superintendent
San Diego Unified School District

From the Publisher