Who viewed Black professionals as likely members of a “talented tenth” that would serve as models to other Blacks?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

W.E.B. Du Bois argued that a "talented tenth" of the Black population—an educated, professional elite—would lead and uplift the race.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) promoted higher education and political activism for African Americans. The "talented tenth" is the concept that roughly ten percent of Black Americans, if given classical liberal education and leadership training, would become doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers, and intellectuals who could serve as role models and guide the broader Black community toward social, economic, and political advancement. This contrasts with leaders who emphasized vocational training or separatism.

2) Step-by-step reasoning
Du Bois articulated this view in his writings around the turn of the 20th century, arguing that developing an educated leadership class was essential for securing civil rights and dismantling Jim Crow. He believed that the cultivation of a highly trained, civic-minded elite would use its influence to secure equality and uplift others through example, advocacy, and institution-building.

3) Intermediate steps / evidence
- Du Bois’s essays and lectures repeatedly argued for the centrality of collegiate and liberal education for Black Americans.
- He identified professions (law, ministry, education, medicine) as avenues through which leaders could exert moral and political leadership.
- He contrasted his stance with alternative approaches that prioritized industrial training or mass emigration.

4) Why the correct answer is correct
Du Bois is the originator and chief proponent of the "talented tenth" idea; the phrase is historically and conceptually tied to his advocacy for an educated Black leadership class to advance racial progress.

5) Why other options are incorrect
- Booker T. Washington emphasized vocational and industrial training and accommodation with white authorities, not a cultivated elite leading social agitation.
- Marcus Garvey promoted Black nationalism and mass mobilization/return to Africa, not the leadership-by-educated-ten-percent model.
- Ida B. Wells was a leading anti-lynching crusader but did not formulate the "talented tenth" doctrine.

6) Conclusion
Therefore, the person who viewed Black professionals as a “talented tenth” was W.E.B. Du Bois, which matches the provided answer.

Who viewed Black professionals as likely members of a “talented tenth” that would serve as models to other Blacks?Single choice

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