Charles W. Chesnutt to W. E. B. Du Bois, 3 February 1917
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CHAS. W. CHESNUTT
1105 WILLIAMSON BUILDING
CLEVELAND O
Cleveland, Ohio, February 3, 1917.
Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois,
Editor The Crisis,
70 Fifth Ave., New York City.
My dear Dr. Du Bois,
2/10/64
I have been a long time in replying to your request that I send you something for the Crisis1. I did not have anything available at the time, nor have I yet, but when I have something I will send it to you.
In the meantime I have learned that you have been passing through somewhat troubled waters; that you have been in a hospital for some time and have undergone a serious operation.2 I am sure I join in the sentiment of a host of your friends when I say that I congratulate you on your recovery, and hope you are or soon will be ‸back at your desk, fighting the battle with your usual vigor and earnestness.
Cordially yours, Chas. W. Chesnutt CWC/S.Correspondent: William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868–1963) was a sociologist, historian, and world-renowned civil rights activist. After completing coursework at the University of Berlin and Harvard University, Du Bois became the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard in 1895. He was a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University (1897–1910 and again in the 1930s). He was a prominent leader of the Niagara Movement and helped found the NAACP in 1909. As the editor of the NAACP's journal, The Crisis, from 1910 to 1931, Du Bois published four of Chesnutt's short stories as well as two of his essays. See "The Doll" (April 1912), "Mr. Taylor's Funeral" (April/May 1915), "The Marked Tree" (Dec 1924/Jan 1925), and "Concerning Father" (May 1930); and "Women's Rights" (1915) and "The Negro in Art" (November 1926).
1. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) began in February 1909, with a Committee on the Negro and "The Call," a statement protesting lawlessness against Black people. In 1910, the organization adopted its current name and in 1912 began publication of a monthly journal, The Crisis, which was edited by W. E. B. Du Bois from 1912 to 1944. Chesnutt's involvement with the NAACP extended over many years, and included serving on its General Committee, attending conferences, presiding at NAACP events in Cleveland, publishing four stories and two essays in The Crisis (1912, 1915, 1924, 1926, 1930, and 1931), and being awarded in 1928 the organization's highest honor, the Spingarn Medal. [back]
2. In December of 1916, W. E. B. Du Bois became seriously ill and had a kidney stone removed. In January 1917, his entire left kidney was removed. He was released from St. Luke's hospital in New York on January 22, 1917. [back]
