W.E.B. DuBois' classmate whose name you probably don't know and the problem with a singular story.

Or why I keep thinking about Clement Morgan

I keep thinking about Clement Morgan. He was in the same class at Harvard at W.E.B. DuBois, the most influential Black American intellectual of the 20th century. Like DuBois, Morgan was an older student when he matriculated at Harvard College. DuBois had already attended Fisk University, but Harvard wouldn’t accept credits from Fisk. Morgan had attended M Street School (later known as Dunbar, the first Black public high school in Washington, D.C. known for academic excellence) worked as a teacher and then attended Boston Latin School before Harvard. Two Black men, one (DuBois) from Massachusetts originally, the other born enslaved in Virginia. Morgan was so impressive to his peers that he was the student’s choice to be a graduation speaker for the class of 1889. DuBois earned a spot as a graduation speaker too, through an essay and oral competition in which he exceeded all other students. But this shouldn’t have been an issue for Morgan. There were 6 spots. Morgan, however, was kicked off the program.