Harvard Glee Club honors W.E.B. Du Bois
In 1888, sociologist and author W.E.B. Du Bois arrived at Harvard as the first black scholar to study for a doctorate from the University. Du Bois broke barriers on campus, but faced exclusion from social life, including the all-white Glee Club founded in 1858. More than 100 years later, the Harvard Glee Club is starting to reckon with its role in Du Bois’ campus experience. On Saturday, the club will perform a concert titled “The Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois,” a celebration of African-American spiritual music and Du Bois’ writings on race and inequality. “Our troubled relationship with Du Bois was an impetus for the show,” said Glee Club publicity manager Michael Baick ’22. “We’re trying to honor Du Bois and make [the concert] about him, not us. We should always be thinking about how our music can resonate beyond the space where we’re singing.” The concert honoring Du Bois is a step...