The GKCBHSG will close out the first half of its program year on June 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm when we will gather to hear Dr. Chad Williams discuss his latest book, The Wounded World: W.E.B. DuBois & WW I.

We are pleased to partner with our institutional member, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and also with the Black Archives of Mid-America to host Dr. Williams for this presentation.

In “The Wounded World,” Chad Williams examines DuBois’ struggle to complete a book about Black troops’ experiences during World War I. Williams calls this unfinished project “Du Bois’s most significant work to never reach the public.” His deeply researched, crisply written story is structured around Du Bois’s struggle to finish this manuscript and grapple with the legacy of a war that he had hoped would result in the “emancipation of the Negro race”, but gave way to disillusionment after hearing the stories from Black soldiers of their mistreatment during the war.

Dr. Williams serves as an academic advisor to the museum and is currently the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Brandeis University. He earned a BA with honors in History and African American Studies from UCLA and received both his MA and Ph.D. in History from Princeton University. He specializes in African American and modern United States History, African American military history, the World War I era, and African American intellectual history.

Many consider DuBois to be the most influential scholar-activist in African American history. The event is free, but registration is required. Come and learn more about the storied role of W.E.B. DuBois in American history.

Join us on Monday, June 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm in-person or on YouTube live.