W.E.B. Du Bois in Perspective: The Nation, the City, the Church

W.E.B. Du Bois brought Negro History Week to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, now St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral. Du Bois was a major figure in twentieth-century America as a civil rights activist, scholar, and founding member of the NAACP. Join us in person or online for this special Black History Month event exploring Du Bois' legacy.

• Date and Time: February 2, 2025, from 1:30 to 3:00pm
• Location: In-person in the sanctuary (157 Montague Street)
• Livestream: Click here to watch the livestream on YouTube

Historians Phillip Luke Sinitiere, Lavelle Porter, and Craig Townsend will offer perspectives on Du Bois’ national importance, his later career and circle of friends and fellow activists when he lived in Brooklyn, and his friendship with the Rev. William Howard Melish, the last priest in charge of Holy Trinity.

The program will include musical performances by classical musicians Emily Kalish and Kyle Walker and the Gospel choir East Coast Inspirational Singers.

Phillip Luke Sinitiere, Ph.D., Scholar in Residence at the Du Bois Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author/editor of Citizen of the World: The Late Career and Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois (2019) and Forging Freedom in W.E.B. Du Bois’s Twilight Years: No Deed but Memory (2023). Phillip will provide an overview of Du Bois’ career, the social activism and writings of his second wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, and their move to Brooklyn in the last years of his life.

Lavelle Porter, Ph.D., Distinguished Lecturer at Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York, author of The Blackademic Life: Academic Fiction, Higher Education, and the Black Intellectual (2019), and licensed New York City walking tour guide. Lavelle will illuminate Du Bois’ New York City and Brooklyn circles of friends and activists.

The Rev. Craig D. Townsend, Ph.D., Associate for Faith Formation at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral, and author of Faith in Their Own Color: Black Episcopalians in Antebellum New York City (2005). Craig will report on the research being done by him and parish volunteers into the relationship between Du Bois and the Rev. Melish, who preached Du Bois’ funeral sermon.

Kyle Walker is a pianist renowned for his passionate dedication to using music as a tool for addressing societal concerns. Learn more at kylewalkerpiano.com.

Emily Kalish is a violinist who creates emotionally transformative experiences for audiences through recitals, chamber music, and education. Learn more at emilykalish.com.

East Coast Inspirational Singers specialize in Gospel, R&B, Jazz, and Blues. They have brought their powerhouse sound to Broadway, Top 40’s Pop recordings, late night talk shows, and beyond. Learn more at eastcoastinspirationalsingers.com.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn, United States