journal 16

Nika Bogoslovsky
2/6/08
Washington

Quote: “In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”

Summary: This is again from Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address when he describes his desire for economic equality. He wants it so bad for African Americans that he would have separate civility but equality in jobs. He describes the situation as separate as fingers but one as the hand.

Response: While many people might disagree with Washington and convict him of further feeding the hand of racism, It’s definitely not what he was attempting to do. Obviously his intent was that his steps of greater equality for African Americans would progress, however, and unfortunately, for various reasons they didn’t. Whoever might disagree with Washington needs to realize that what he did had to happen. I think without his attempts at equality people like Du Bois wouldn’t have received the proper motivation to do what they did. It’s unfortunate that Washington had to settle for separate but equal, but there are steps in overcoming and mountain and he definitely took some of the first. It might have taken a while to make the others but it’s the necessity of those steps that create great leaders. I think he’s saying something very important in this metaphor that I feel was overlooked in class. He says that we are as separate as fingers but come from one hand, that even though the color of our skin is different we are still all human. It’s important to acknowledge this because for so long African Americans were seen as less than human.