W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute facts for kids

The W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute is a special place at Harvard University. It used to be called the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research. This institute is part of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Its main job is to help smart people, called scholars, learn more about Africa and African American history and culture. They do this by offering special grants called fellowships.

Discovering the Institute's History

The W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research started in 1969. It was named after a very important person, W. E. B. Du Bois. He was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. (a very high degree) from Harvard University in 1895.

This institute was the first part of what is now the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. Today, it is one of several institutes that work together under this larger center.

What the Institute Does

The Institute helps people who are studying African and African American topics. Each year, it gives out up to twenty special grants, called fellowships. These fellowships help scholars at different stages of their careers. They can use the grants to write their Ph.D. papers or do other important research.

These scholars work on their own research projects for one or two semesters. Their studies are all about African and African American history, culture, and life. By 2020, the institute had helped over 300 scholars with their research.

The institute also works with the Ella J. Baker House in Dorchester, Boston. Together, they host the W. E. B. Du Bois Society. This program helps African American secondary school students learn more about academics and culture. Jacqueline and Rev. Eugene C. Rivers started this society. Jacqueline O. Cooke Rivers was its director in 2020.

The current director of the institute is Henry Louis Gates Jr..