Booker T. Washington, an educator, author, and leader in the African American community, takes his first trip to Europe during a leave of absence from his tenure at Tuskegee University.
In his autobiography, Up from Slavery, Washington describes the release of his cares and burdens lifting at a rate of “a pound a minute”. With his influence and leadership amongst the Black community at the time, Washington’s trip would have been regarded at the highest level and influenced many.
References:
- Washington, Booker T.” in Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature, (vol. 4, Gale, 2009), pp. 1626–1630.
- Baker, Houston A., Jr. 2001. Turning South Again: Re-Thinking Modernism/Re-Reading Booker T. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2001.
Photo:
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library. “Booker T. Washington.” New York Public Library Digital Collections.