Groundbreaking civil rights book republished

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A new edition of a book by a black activist born in western Massachusetts is being published to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

W.E.B. DuBois originally published the groundbreaking book titled “The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America” in 1924.

The book challenged the pervasive stereotypes of African Americans and documented their rarely recognized achievements. It detailed the role of African Americans with the earliest explorers to inventions ranging from ice cream to player pianos.

Special Section: Black History Month

DuBois, who was born in Great Barrington argued that blacks were crucial to conquering the wilderness, winning wars, expanding democracy and creating a prosperous economy.

The book was published amid the terror and oppression as the Ku Klux Klan was rising again, with segregation as the law and Martin Luther King Jr. not even born yet.

DuBois co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A new edition of his book also marks Black History Month in February and arrives with President Barack Obama taking office.